Anthony Russo talks Captain America - the Winter soldier

[macfraser82.livejournal.com]

I think Chris Evans is good at comedy, especially dry comedy, but Captain America as a guy -- what I love about him is that there's kind of a nobility, a heroic quality to him. With the comedic sensibilities you and your brother have, is that going to be part of it, I guess? Is that part of the conception process and the scripting process?
It definitely is. I mean, we're trying to grow him as a character, and certainly he's come a long way, from where he started in pre-World War 2 to where he is in modern-day America. So the character has room for growth because of that huge journey that he's been on, Number 1. Number 2, part of the appeal of these movies is the ensemble. Captain America isn't the only character in the film, there are other characters that are perhaps lighter in nature.

Bucky, perhaps?
Yeah, exactly. [Note: Anthony Mackie will definitely be part of the "Winter Soldier" ensemble; The actor will play Falcon in the film, and it has also been reported that Sebastian Stan will be back as Bucky Barnes.]

You're going with an existing story for "Captain America," right?
In a way. I mean, they're all sort of rooted in what's come before, but they're all also their own jumping-off point as well.

How did you sell yourselves [to get the job for] "Captain America"?
We were comic book geeks from a young age and big fantasy geeks. We got to talk to them in detail about that history. They knew that we understood the brand really well and the characters really well. It was a long process, actually, of talking to them over and over again, through a series of meetings over a long period of time. And I think they just -- we were really passionate about the movie, incredibly passionate about the movie. They felt that, and they felt like it was the right match.

What did you love about [Ed] Brubaker's "Winter Soldier" [comic-book] story that made you say, "Oh yeah, I know what we can do with this"?
Well, we like the [story]. I can't talk too much about specifics, that's the way Marvel handles things. I can say in general that there's sort of a darker, edgier sensibility at work there that we found appealing, and that is going find its way into Captain [America] in the modern day.

The '40s stuff worked so well in the first movie, and I know Marvel was thinking about maybe doing an in-between story, because [they] just like that era. Do you have any insight into why they wanted to keep it set in the present day?
You know, I actually don't know, to tell you the truth, how that debate went. That was before we entered the picture and I never actually asked them about that.

Are flashbacks possible to World War 2?
Certainly Cap has this complicated history. We're making the movie for first-time viewers, not just for fans, so, because Cap does have this complicated history -- he was this skinny guy who became a super-soldier, he was born back then and he's living [now] -- in the storytelling, you need to convey that to an audience who doesn't know Cap's story.

What about directing a big, comic-book extravaganza with tons of effects? You've done a lot of different stuff, but is that at all intimidating, to take on a big-budget, tent-pole movie?
Well, two things. It has been something my brother and I have been working on for many years, behind the scenes, sort of preparing. We've had this great run in television comedy, and maybe "You, Me and Dupree" was an extension of that on a feature level. But we've spent a lot of years now researching that craft.

The other side of that equation is, Marvel is this incredible machine with all these amazing people who work there. That's part of their confidence and why they can go outside the box [in choosing] directors, because they have people there who know everything. They said to us early on in the interview process, "We don't expect you to know anything [about special effects and so forth] -- you don't have to know everything about this stuff, because we're here for that." They're very respectful of directors. They're an amazing company to work with.

What appeals to you about Chris Evans' interpretation of this character as we've seen it thus far?
I love his integrity, you know, and his toughness. And I think that's what is at the heart of Captain America's appeal, that sort of indomitable spirit and faith in an ideal. Chris takes that mantle really well.

Marvel's got this cool clockwork approach to figuring out what to seed for other movies in the movies they're making at the moment. Have you already been having those discussions [about] how you're going to set up little things that are going to pay off in other films?
Yes, but they're very balanced in that approach. First and foremost, it is the movie itself [that is the priority, and setting up other things] is a lighter layer of dressing. In terms of the hard-core mechanics of the movie, it's contained within the movie itself.

Where are you at in terms of production? Are you in active pre-production? Do you have a production start date?
We have a release date, April 2014. We are going to go into production early next year.

Are comic book creators that you've been consulting with been helpful to you? Are creators from the actual comic books [giving] advice?
We're actually going to have lunch with Brubaker soon. But no, they haven't been involved. In the same way that they would develop a new comic-book series, they give its own space to develop. But certainly everybody is aware [of what's in the comics], has read everything, is aware of all their other material. But they do like each thing to be its own, organic process, which is nice.

I read some really smart people who wrote pieces I wish I'd thought of, who said that Marvel is wise to hire people from the TV realm, because, not only are people used to bringing things in on time and on budget and keeping things moving along, there's a sense that a lot of directors now are involved in stories and can very much help shape the vision and tone, as you did with "Community" and other things you've worked on. Am I wrong about how they're approaching this process?
No, I think you're right. One reason why people coming from the television world work particularly well at Marvel is connected to one thing you were saying earlier: Marvel is a big company and they've made a lot of movies and these movies are connected to each other. That's not typical for a feature film. A lot of people who work in feature films, that whole concept is a little foreign, in the sense that you have to be thinking about predecessors in a very specific way. They aren't just prequels, there's a whole mythology that has preceded you. Television people are used to that because there's seasons and seasons of a show and this history is very important.

Also, it's a big company and you're dealing with people from the comic book side and the feature side and so there's a lot of people to work with, as in television -- there's a lot of people to collaborate with. People who have done well in television have a gift for being able to work with a large number of people.

What part of lightning in a bottle from "The Avengers" would you like to grab for "Captain America"?
For me, what I loved about the movie, which is what many if not most people loved about the movie, were the character interactions, those great character moments. You have people rubbing up against each other in a way that's exciting and combustible. While all the special effects and the adventure, the thrill and the danger [are] fun, it was those character-to-character interactions are the heart of the film. So that's what [we'll hope to have].

So that leads to the follow-up question -- will there be any other Avengers be in "Winter Soldier"?
That's the something that -- Marvel would shoot me if I answered.

I know people like Hayley Atwell so much as Peggy Carter, is there a possibility of using her as Sharon Carter?
I can't talk about any of that at all, sorry.

full article here

Comments

[isthataquestion.livejournal.com]

I love this article but because it's so long, maybe you should put it behind a cut? Perhaps from "Bucky, perhaps?" onwards? Just a thought as some people are trying to remain spoiler free (so maybe having it all behind a cut might be better) and/or don't like massive amounts of text outside a cut on their flists :)

[macfraser82.livejournal.com]

Done.
Thanks for the hint.^^
You are totally right.
And i allready cut the text before i posted the article XD

It's also a good starting point: How much do i like to remain spoilerfree or use cuts and put spoiler behind it.
I'm going to think about that.
And i got your Twitter message.^^

[isthataquestion.livejournal.com]

A good rule of thumb I always use is if the article gives anything away about the project (title, characters names- especially in this universe since so many of them pop up in difference scenarios-, actors, plot points, etc), I put it behind a cut. People won't complain if you've put non spoilery stuff behind a cut but they will complain if you leave it outside of a cut.

[alexia_drake]

You have people rubbing up against each other in a way that's exciting and combustible.

LOL It's funny how he said that!

Thanks for sharing :D

[macfraser82.livejournal.com]

You are welcome.^^

And i love your icon.^^