It’s an exciting time to be a Marvel fan. Based on early buzz, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ might be the best offering from the House of Ideas’ cinematic universe yet. Executives believe in it so much that it’s sequel is currently scheduled to go head to head with DC’s ‘Batman Vs. Superman’ in 2016. Basically, Steve Rogers is a very hot commodity right now. However, the actor behind the Sentinel of Liberty may be considering hanging up the shield in the near future.
According to an interview with Variety, Chris Evans stated that while he loves suiting up and assembling with the Avengers, his new passion when it comes to film is directing. During his hiatus from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he made his directorial debut with a love story called ‘1:30 Train’ starring himself and Alice Eve, and he’s planning to shoot another feature later this year. But with this newfound love of being behind the camera, what does this mean for his career in front of it? The actor says it’s Marvel or nothing:
“If I’m acting at all, it’s going to be under Marvel contract, or I’m going to be directing. I can’t see myself pursuing acting strictly outside of what I’m contractually obligated to do. ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ will shoot till August. I wouldn’t be surprised if for all of 2015, we didn’t do a movie. I bet that by 2017, I’ll be done.”
Evans only has two more films left on his Captain America contract and one of them is definitely going to be ‘Captain America 3’. Since Sebastian Stan has signed on for three more movies than his star spangled co-star, is it possible that Cap’s final appearance would involve passing the mantle on to the Winter Soldier? This seems to be a popular theory at the moment, but who really knows what the future holds? When Robert Downey Jr.’s contract was up, Marvel did everything that they could to keep him around as Tony Stark for a little bit longer. It’s possible that they could do the same for Evans. Then again, the studio has set a precedent that they have no problem recasting high profile roles, as seen with Mark Ruffalo stepping in for Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk in ‘The Avengers’.
What do you think about Chris Evans transitioning into a life behind the camera and retiring his Captain America shield in 2017? Do you think that Marvel will do all they can to keep him around? Or do you see Sebastian Stan stepping into the stars and stripes when Steve Rogers retires? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ starring Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, and Emily VanCamp hits theaters on April 4, 2014.
