Marvel Signs Joe Johnston to Direct Captain America

Neil Miller — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:45:49 +0000

Marvel Studios has rounded out their directorial team for their next three movies this evening, signing Joe Johnston to direct the ‘period piece‘ known as The First Avenger: Captain America. And while no writers have been signed as of yet, the report from the trades says that Marvel Studios chief and producer Kevin Feige is currently hearing pitches and is close to hiring a team of scribes. As for Johnston, Feige appears to be excited with his work on various high profile projects of the past:

“This is a guy who designed the vehicles for Star Wars, who storyboarded the convoy action sequence for Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Feige said. “From Rocketeer to October Sky to The Wolfman, you can look at pieces of his movies and see how they lead to this one.”

What Feige fails to mention is that Johnston’s directorial career has had its ups and downs. While he has shown his good side with films such as Rocketeer and October Sky, he is also the guy who brought us Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, I just think its worth mentioning. To his credit, Johnston is a long-time disciple of Steven Spielberg, a guy whose record speaks for itself.

In my mind, Johnston is in the same league as someone like Roland Emmerich — a few good ones, a few bad ones, used to a bigger budget and for the most part, financially successful. That last part is what really matters, especially for the fledgling Marvel Studios. And while some fans might think, ‘What? The guy who directed Jurassic Park III?’ and get upset, might I remind you that this is no more ridiculous than taking the guy who directed Elf to direct Iron Man or the guy who directed Unleashed to direct The Incredible Hulk.

What do you think of Joe Johnston signing on to direct Captain America?

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Marvel Signs Joe Johnston to Direct Captain America

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