With Marvel bosses and director Joe Johnston still hard at work on apparently auditioning every young male actor in Hollywood for the titular role in The First Avenger: Captain America, it seems that some other casting news has just dropped. In a decision that comes as both surprising and wholly appropriate, Cap’s arch-nemesis, the Red Skull, will be portrayed on screen by none other than Hugo Weaving.
Filmgoing audiences are most familiar with Weaving as well-dressed computer-baddie Agent Smith in all three of the Matrix films and as Elven Lord Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but with more daring roles in indies like The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and comic-book experience in V for Vendetta, Weaving has become an established and much-beloved character actor.
The selection of Weaving came as a small surprise to many who were expecting a younger pick or a German actor for the part of the evil Nazi supersoldier, but considering his work with Johnston in last month’s The Wolfman, the choice doesn’t seem so shocking.
Okay, so now that Captain America has its lead villain, we can hope to hear some definitive news soon on who will be picking up the shield and putting on the mask, and you can bet your flag that Atomic Popcorn will have the news when it breaks.
