Coming on the heels of Jeremy Renner’s casting as Hawkeye in The Avengers comes some more great Marvel movie news: Stanley Tucci has recently been cast as Dr. Abraham Erskine, the creator of the Super-Soldier serum that turns Chris Evans into the titular character in Captain America: The First Avenger.
From a Marvel Studios press release:
In the early comics, Dr. Erskine was a German scientist behind Project Rebirth, the secret experiment that created the Super Soldier known as Captain America. Joe Johnston will direct the film penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.
Not only does this confirm the role for Tucci, but also proves that Marvel is planning on making this film mostly about Steve Rogers’ time before and after taking the Super Soldier serum, rather than his costumed days as Captain America, either during WWII or today.
Tucci joins a heavily growing cast of Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, and Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull. Expect more casting news to release soon, as the film is starting shooting in London. Be sure to catch Captain America: The First Avenger in theaters on July 22, 2011.
