As one of the few Hollywood stars to have played more than one superhero on screen, you can forgive Chris Evans’ initial apprehension when it came to donning the star-spangled suit for Marvel as Captain America circa 2011. Less than half a decade later, though, and his character is all but a household name, with fans chomping at the bit to learn more of his next major outing, Captain America: Civil War.
Much like all of Marvel’s multi-faceted contracts, though, there is an end in sight for Evans as Cap, whose contract expires after the two-part Avengers: Infinity War. Though should the studio find another creative route for him to reprise his role beyond Infinity War, the actor wouldn’t hesitate this time around.
In an interview with Collider, Evans spoke with enthusiasm about the possibility of carrying on the torch – or, rather, shield – long into the next phase of Marvel’s cinematic universe should the company see fit.
“Listen, if Marvel wants me they got me. I’ve never had such a relationship where you have such—I mean look at my resume, I’m used to being on set being like, ‘Ah is this movie gonna be terrible?’ Marvel just can’t stop making great movies, they do it in their sleep. It’s wonderful directors and producers and actors and scripts, and it’s like a playground as an actor. It’s so mind-boggling that I was so tentative in the beginning to jump onboard. What an asshole I would be if I hadn’t done this. I mean can you imagine? Kicking myself—I’d never forgive myself!”
Set to be helmed by Joe and Anthony Russo following their work on next year’s Civil War, Infinity War represents the culmination of a story thread that is almost a decade in the making. Plus, who knows, at that point superhero fatigue may have very well stymied the rampant interest in the genre.
It’s a phrase we’ve heard for some time, though at least for now, superhero tentpoles are still big business. So big, in fact, that when tensions run high, it can lead to creative clashes within the creative team. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige came close to quitting the company over an internal conflict over Civil War – how apropos – and, in particular, his working relationship with Marvel CEO Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter.
What this means is that the company’s renown Creative Committee has been disbanded in the fallout of this internal restructuring effort – one which will see Feige report directly to Alex Horn, a Disney executive with a vested interest in the ever-expanding MCU. Freeing Feige from Ike’s control – who grew concerned over Civil War‘s ballooning budget – ultimately smoothes any potential kinks out, given that the last thing Marvel wants is to lose what is arguably one of its most prized assets.
Published: Sep 4, 2015 11:31 am