There are many iconic elements of the Star Wars franchise – from lightsabers to the wide variety of helmets – but not to be overlooked is the simple power of the logo. If someone shows any movie fan even just a single letter from the design, it's instantly recognizable, and one imagines that it's a part of the expanded universe that will never change for any upcoming Star Wars projects. What's funny to realize about it, however, is that while it's an amazing piece of design work, it was an idea that was developed in a time span of less than 24 hours.

Joe Johnston – who got his start at Industrial Light & Magic before becoming the director of hit films such as Jumanji and Captain America: The First Avenger – shared the origin story behind the Star Wars logo today during an ILM-centric presentation at the on-going Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California. The filmmaker was asked by the moderator to share the story behind the font, and he explained that it was something that came together on a rather extreme deadline after he agreed to work on a redesign. Said Johnston,

Continuing, Joe Johnston revealed that the work was something that he had to have done overnight:

As they say, the rest is history. The Star Wars logo is arguably the most popular and recognizable of any major film franchise, and it is ubiquitous. Not only is it in the movies and posters, but pretty much on every kind of popular merchandise that you can think of.

Its popularity is certainly not lost on Joe Johnston – and from his comments, it sounds like he really wishes he made some kind of profit sharing deal that would see him earn even the smallest amount of money for each time the Star Wars logo is used. Said the filmmaker,

To be clear, I think that it's safe to say that if Joe Johnston had a penny for every time the Star Wars logo was utilized, he would very likely be the richest person to ever exist on this planet.

That was just one of the funny stories to come out of the Industrial Light & Magic presentation at Star Wars Celebration, and fans everywhere will soon be able to enjoy their own taste of the experience with the upcoming docu series Light & Magic, which is a six-part show created by Lawrence Kasdan that dives into the full history of the beloved effects company. It will be a Disney+ exclusive, and while no date has been announced yet, it's expected to land on the streaming service this year.

As for everything else Star Wars, stay tuned for more of CinemaBlend's coverage out of Star Wars Celebration, (we've already seen some great stuff, including a sneak peek at The Mandalorian Season 3, a debut trailer for Andor, and an update from LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy about the status of the Lando series for Disney+).

Director Joe Johnston has had an eclectic career in Hollywood - which each of his movies being significantly different than the last. His standout works include Jumanji, The Rocketeer, October Sky, and Captain America: The First Avenger, but where it all started was with 1989's Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.

It was with that feature that Johnston made his directorial debut, and now it looks as though he will be returning to that franchise with the upcoming legacyquel, Shrunk.

News of the reboot first broke in May, with it being revealed that Josh Gad was developing the project at Disney and would be starring in the film as an adult Nick Szalinski, but at that time there wasn't a director attached. That now seems to be changing, as The Hollywood Reporter says Joe Johnston is now in talks for that job.

The project is in the works at Disney, and the plan is to have it fit within the pre-existing Honey, I Shrunk The Kids canon - which expanded with the sequels Honey, I Blew Up The Kid and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (neither of which Joe Johnston directed). The story will follow Nick Szalinski as he follows in the footsteps of his scientist father and starts developing specialized shrinking technology.

As you would expect, things go wrong, and an adventure begins that sees certain characters become tiny - but what's not clear at this point is exactly who is being shrunk (unlike the past films, the title Shrunk doesn't provide any clues).

According to the new trade report, it's believed by Disney that the feature has potential as a big screen project, which is a significant detail these days given the push that is being performed for Disney+. Just within the first few months of the streaming service's launch there are some significant titles being made available, and it wasn't unfathomable that the studio would put Shrunk in that particularly library to try and boosts its developing profile.

Joe Johnston is coming off of two very different projects in the crime thriller Not Safe For Work and the high-fantasy Nutcracker And The Four Realms, and it will be interesting to see what kind of magic he may employ in the making of the new Honey, I Shrunk The Kids movie. A big part of the sustaining magic of the original is the fact that it used practical effects - such as giant sets and massive ant puppets - and it will be interesting to see how Johnston may employ those tools while also taking advantage of all of the massive steps that have been taken in the realm of CGI since the late 1980s.

Right now Joe Johnston is only in talks to direct Shrunk, but the fact that the talks are happening suggests that Disney is turning gears on this project, and that we may hear a good deal more about its development in the coming months. The film doesn't currently have a release date, but that news may be forthcoming.

We'll continue to provide you with updates as they pop up, and to see what else is ahead in the near future, be sure to head over to our 2020 Release Schedule.

Earlier this evening, it was reported that Phil Lord and Chris Miller had exited the untitled Han Solo spinoff set in the pre-A New Hope days of the Star Wars universe. Well, not too long after that news had broken, a supposed short list of replacements was drafted, and has made its way to Twitter. There are only three names, but each has an interesting pedigree, with two candidates having a personal connection to the Star Wars saga. Your director shortlist is as follows:

We're just going to go ahead and repeat those three names, because this is pretty big time stuff. Ron Howard, the director of such films as Splash, Apollo 13 and, most recently, Inferno, is the first name on that list. Then there's Lawrence Kasdan, director of films like Silverado and The Big Chill, writer of The Empire Strikes Back and co-writer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, who is also on the list. Last, but not least, is a visual effects artist from the Original Trilogy-turned-director; a young upstart by the name of Joe Johnston. With the field set, let's take a look at everyone's credentials a little closer.

In terms of Ron Howard's candidacy, he definitely has a varied background that ranges from straight dramas and historical pieces to fantastical films like Willow, and let's not forget the action-packed work he's done with the Robert Langdon films, too. He could be a good pick, if only because his directorial eye would be able to balance prestige-worthy filmmaking with big ticket thrills. But the next two candidates have somewhat of an advantage over Howard.

With Lawrence Kasdan's name in the ring, the Star Wars legacy would be well represented due to his pen touching two of the most well-known installments in the series' history. It would also be a fitting for Kasdan to serve as the director on this untitled Han Solo spinoff, as this film also serves as his last film as a writer for the Star Wars universe. So what better way to say goodbye than to shepherd his words into images?

However, our favorite candidate has a mix of Star Wars credentials and big budget directing credits. Not only did Joe Johnston help create the visuals that made the classic Star Wars trilogy so striking, but he's also created some of the most exciting blockbuster films. In particular, his work on The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger would be the projects that show just what Johnston can do with the right projects in his canon. Not to mention that if he does a bang up job finishing this Solo effort, he might be in line to make that Boba Fett film he's always wanted to make.

While the tweet from The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit is far from confirmed, these three names don't just show that quality directors are possibly in the wings to replace Phil Lord and Chris Miller. They also show that Disney is following DC and Warner Bros' example of bringing in proven directorial talent when a project really needs it to stay on target.

The untitled Han Solo spin-off in the Star Wars saga is set for release on May 25, 2018. As soon as we have a confirmed director, or a debunked list of potentials, we'll provide an update.

The Chronicles of Narnia movies have been absent from the big screen for the last seven years - and with fairly good reason. While the franchise got off to an amazing start in 2005 with The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe grossing nearly $750 worldwide, each subsequent movie has made less and less. As a result, the series has been put on hold... but soon it will be coming back, as Joe Johnson has signed on to direct The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair.

Variety reports that the C.S. Lewis Company and the Mark Gordon Company are teaming up with TriStar Pictures this time around, adapting the fourth book in author C.S. Lewis' beloved series of novels. We first heard rumblings about the project in early 2016, but now it's moving forward - with the plot essentially allowing for a soft reboot.

Rather than following the Pevensie children, as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader all do, The Silver Chair centers on a different protagonist. The hero in the story is instead Pevensie cousin Eustace Scrubb, who travels to Narnia in hopes of rescuing Price Caspian's kidnapped son, Prince Rilian. Will Poulter played Scrubb in Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Ben Barnes has twice been the big screen Caspian, but it is unknown if either will be reprising their roles.

The franchise has certainly picked up a safe, veteran choice in Joe Johnston to direct, as the filmmaker has spent nearly 30 years directing blockbusters. His career began in visual effects and art/animation, but his resume as a director includes The Rocketeer, Jumanji, and Captain America: The First Avenger.

David Magee, who has twice been nominated for an Academy Award (Life of Pi, Finding Neverland), is penning the script for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair - though it's unclear exactly how close the adaptation will be to the source material. What's also unknown at this time is exactly how fast this train is going to get out of the station. The project doesn't currently have a release date, so it's unclear if gears are going to start turning tomorrow, or if fans should continue being patient. Be sure that as more information comes in we'll be sure to have it for you.

What do you think of Joe Johnston as the director choice to make Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair - essentially reviving the franchise after a near decade-long absence? Answer our poll below, and leave your thoughts in the comments section!

This poll is no longer available.

I have to assume micro-budget film producer Jason Blum sleeps well at night, knowing that even if all of the movies he releases in a year were complete failures, the amount of money lost would be minimal. Hls lastest release, for instance is James DeMonaco’s The Purge, which opens this weekend and is expected to take in around $20 million based mostly on an outlandish premise and Ethan Hawke’s presence. How much did the film actually cost to make? A paltry $3 million.

When you make films for that kind of money, it isn’t devastating whenever some of them don’t make it to theaters, especially with VOD rentals being more popular than ever. Sadly, the highly anticipated (among horror circles) Not Safe For Work from director Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger) will be bypassing a theatrical release and going straight to VOD platforms, though no specific dates are given.

Blum told the The New York Times, “Some of my movies work, and some of them don’t. I want to be able to say to the studio, ‘We missed, let’s go to VOD.’”

This really isn’t surprising news, since the film doesn’t boast any A-listers and Johnston’s last trip into horror was the disappointing Wolfman remake from 2010.

Not Safe For Work stars Max Minghella (The Social Network) as a young paralegal trapped inside an office building with a killer with a secret mission. His girlfriend is played by Eloise Mumford (The River), and the film also stars Tom Gallop (The Bourne Identity) and Christian Clemenson (CSI: Miami).

Before we begin I think it should be known that I asked my cat if he'd be interested in directing Star Wars: Episode VII, and as of press time he has not said no. I'm taking that as a tacit yes, though it's unclear if talks with Lucasfilm and Disney have begun.

As you can tell, I'm already a little exhausted by the Star Wars director speculation game, since unless it's Quentin Tarantino getting really cranky, all of the answers from major directors have either been "no way" or "I could consider being interested." No one seems to be openly campaigning for the job, Lord knows nobody at Disney is giving us a sense of who they might pick, and I continue to argue that it doesn't really matter who directs it, anyway. But we have three years to kill until a director is actually hired, so the speculation continues anyway.

And it took a pretty interesting form over at Movies.com, where Erik Davis made a passionate argument that Joe Johnston-- director of The Rocketeer and Captain America-- should take over the franchise. From there The Huffington Post's Mike Ryan picked up the baton and actually contacted Johnston to ask him what he'd think about taking the job; Mike had interviewed Johnston earlier this year for a tribute piece about Star Wars, and Johnston is more than just a fan, but was model builder on the original Star Wars. George Lucas paid his tuition to the USC School of Cinema, for god's sake. Johnston credits Star Wars for his career… so would he be willing to take it over?

That's the definition of a non-answer, and right along the lines of what we've heard from most people who have been asked about it (except for good ol' Tarantino). Johnston would be a good candidate to take over the series, though, and his background with Lucas and in special effects could make him especially well-suited. But there's still a long distance to go between hoping he'll take it over and actually seeing it happen.

One of the best superhero flicks last summer was Joe Johnston's Captain America. And while Chris Evans's Steve Rogers is busy going big in Joss Whedon's Avengers, Johnston decided to take the opposite approach with his next project. The director's followup to the First Avenger will be a small actioner called Not Safe For Work and he just recruited one of his Howling Commandos, J.J. Feild, to join the film.

Variety reports that Feild as well as Christian Clemenson and Tom Gallop were cast in Johnston's Not Safe For Work. And before anyone plays Mr./Mrs. Smart, I'm aware that Feild's character, James Montgomery Falsworth, is the original Union Jack and technically part of the Invaders but he was lumped into the Commandos for Johnston's adaptation of Captain America. And if you missed the comic book flick, you may have seen the actor with Michael Fassbender in Neil Marshall's Centurion.

As for the other two, Clemenson is an Emmy Award winning actor (for his work on Boston Legal) and can currently be seen on CSI Miami while Gallop is probably best known for his role alongside Joan Allen in the Bourne sequels. No real specifics on who the actors will play in the film written by British screenwriters Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, a pair who primarily write (and direct) small horror flicks.

Not Safe for Work is about a young paralegal who's trapped in his office building with a ruthless killer sent to destroy some sensitive files. Sounds a little like the end of Michael Mann's Collateral (which earned Jamie Foxx an Oscar nomination and saw Tom Cruise play the villain). For Johnston's NSFW thriller, The Social Network's Max Minghella is in place to play the lead paralegal with Eloise Mumford also already cast as his co-worker and girlfriend.

Joe Johnston directed one of the summer's biggest hits, Captain America: The First Avenger, but unlike a lot of big successful tentpole directors, he hasn't been talking a lot about his next project. In fact, we don't even know if he'll return for a Captain America sequel, and given that Cap is tied up in The Avengers, that doesn't seem to be a huge priority. So riding on his success, Johnston is moving on to something completely different. THR reports that Johnston has signed on to Not Safe For Work, a "micro-budgeted thriller" set up at Universal.

It sounds like the kind of scrappy, no-frills thriller a new director might cut his teeth on, but Johnston, with films like Jurassic Park 3 and The Rocketeer behind him, is apparently in the mood to cut back. The story, written by Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, follows a young paralegal who winds up trapped in his office with a killer who has corporate espionage on the brain. NSFW is budgeted at just $2.5 million, which could easily be what they spent on armor for Captain America, but Johnston also gets a cut of the back-end profits if there are any, so you can imagine why he'd move on to something smaller.

I think all of us are a lot more interested in Johnston's work given how successful Captain America was, so no matter how generic NSFW sounds at first, it will probably at least be worth a look. So long as it's not a found-footage horror thing-- we've had plenty of that, thank you-- maybe Johnston will be capable of surprising us once again.

Watching Captain America: The First Avenger this past summer, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Rocketeer. One of my favorite movies when I was a kid, the project was director Joe Johnston's first experience with the superhero world, and while the story and style is a bit contrived in hindsight - it's basically Indiana Jones starring steampunk Boba Fett - the movie is still a ton of fun. Sadly the only home video release of the film currently on the market is a barebones 1999 DVD with terrible picture quality. Fortunately, that wrong is going to be righted this December.

THR has learned that The Rocketeer will be heading to Blu-ray on December 13th. Other than being announced as a 20th Anniversary Edition there are very few details about the extras that will be included, but the trade reports that it will only have one disc - meaning no DVD/Digital copy. The film is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $18.99 and the movie will retail for $26.50. For those unfamiliar with the movie, the film stars Bill Campbell as Cliff Secord, a young test pilot who discovers a jet pack and becomes a superhero battling against gangsters, Nazis and 1930s Hollywood. The film co-stars Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino and Timothy Dalton.

It's almost a shame that Captain America: The First Avenger is coming out in October, as folks will have to wait two whole months before they can host their own private double features. A couple months ago there was a screening of the film in Los Angeles, and while I didn't get to attend, I've heard that the print they have is impeccable. We should be in for a real treat.

Joe Johnston and Boba Fett go way back. Long before the Captain America director cut his teeth on family fare like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Jumanji, Johnston was a visual effects illustrator and designer for George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy. In fact, he did the final designs on the villainous Boba Fett for ILM. And if he gets his way, he’ll help introduce the bounty hunter to a new generation.

While promoting Captain America to the press over the weekend, Johnston was asked by ScreenRant if Lucas had seen a final cut of The First Avenger. An innocent question out of leftfield, but every once in a while, inquires like that score interesting answers, and Johnston’s qualifies. He essentially said that he’d happily show the superhero adventure to Lucas if the Star Wars icon ever asked, then followed that up with, “I’m trying to get George to make a feature based on Boba Fett.”

And with that, one million Star Wars chat rooms overloaded with die-hard fans who submitted ideas for their dream Boba Fett movie. At the same time, two million chat rooms filled with haters who called the idea dumb.

Johnston was asked if he’d like to direct such a feature, and he naturally replied that he would, but no one has helmed a feature-length Star Wars movie outside of Lucas since Richard Marquand helmed Return of the Jedi back in 1983. Plus, no one expands on the cinematic Star Wars universe except Lucas, himself, so the chances of Johnston being able to handpick a character from that world for a standalone adventure seem slim, at best.

That being said, Johnston has a few things going for him. One, he grew up under Lucas’s tutelage, having worked on the original trilogy. He’s entrenched in the Spielberg-Lucas camp, having worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark while also taking over for the former’s beloved Jurassic Park series. And if Captain America is a huge hit, Johnston could find himself with a bit of clout. Could he spend it on a Boba Fett movie? Probably not … but wouldn’t it be pretty damn cool if it actually happened?

This Friday’s Captain America: The First Avenger, an origin story directed by Joe Johnston, is the final piece in the puzzle waiting to drop before Marvel Studios can start hyping next summer’s all-star Avengers film, directed by Joss Whedon. Yet with Comic-Con happening the same weekend as Cap’s premiere, it is creating a perfect storm of superhero rumors and news items that promises to rain down Avengers items on a charged-up fan base.

First, there was news that a full Avengers trailer would be the post-credit sequence on Captain America. Then there were the trailer leaks, which are gone (but can still be found if you dig around). And now we have fresh casting news, namely that Amanda Righetti, star of The Mentalist amd Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th reboot, will appear on both Johnston and Whedon’s films as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Daily Blam, which has the story, couldn’t confirm which character from the Avengers universe Righetti would be playing, though speculation tied her to either Carol Danvers (who’d go on to become Ms. Marvel in the comic books) or Sharon Carter. The latter makes much more sense as that character is niece to Peggy Carter, who is the character Haley Atwell is playing in Johnston’s Captain adventure. And we’ve already seen the studio’s proclivity toward keeping things in the family. Look for Howard Stark, Tony’s father, in the pivotal scene where Chris Evans is transformed from meek Steve Rogers into massive Cap, after all.

But how much screen time can Righetti hope to coax from Mr. Whedon? He already has to juggle the likes of Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner Samuel L. Jackson, Stan Lee (in a cameo) and whomever else walks by the film’s set. If she gets a line, she’ll be lucky. Expect even more Avengers news as the week progresses.

While there are those that blame fading interest in the genre while others believe that the problems lie in marketing, Superhero Summer 2011 hasn't exactly resulted in an economic boom for the movie industry. Between Thor, X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern, only the first managed to bring in more than $60 million in it's first weekend. Still, the summer isn't over yet as we still have one more superpowered individual to swoop in and save the day: Captain America.

EPIX has posted two new behind-the-scenes featurettes for the upcoming Joe Johnston-directed Marvel movie, and you can watch them below. The first video has Chris Evans discussing the character of Steve Rogers, who eventually becomes the great hero, while the second focuses on the period film's set design and the Captain America costume. Sadly the videos don't deliver much in the way of new footage, but it's still an interesting look at the upcoming film.

Check out the featurettes below.

For more on Captain America: The First Avenger, including trailers and images be sure to head over to our Blend Film Database.

On Super Bowl Sunday there were two TV spots that blew absolutely everyone away: Captain America: The First Avenger and Super 8. Ever since both of those mini-trailers landed fans have been waiting for their theatrical ads. Should the information be accurate, today I bring you good news and bad news.

Comic Book Movie has posted a list of highly anticipated trailer release dates and while Super 8 fans will be happy, those looking for Cap definitely won't be. According to the article, the theatrical spot for the J.J. Abrams film will be attached to Battle: Los Angeles, which will be released this coming Friday, but the first real trailer for the Joe Johnston superhero story won't be showing up until May and will be attached to Thor.

As excited as I am to see what the Super 8 trailer will bring, I am kind of upset that we won't be seeing Captain America for a while. That said, if this story turns out to be true, it does make some sense. If Marvel wants both films to succeed they can't let Cap steal all of the attention and buzz, particularly when Thor likely needs it a lot more. If the Super 8 trailer does get released this week, expect it to pop online first and you'll be able to find it right here on Cinema Blend.

Earlier this week, the cover for the new issue of Empire came online, giving us yet another look at the hero of what should be one of this summer's biggest blockbusters: Captain America: The First Avenger. But, as I said then, it was unlikely that it would be the only new image from the film that they would be printing and today I've been proven right.

Screen Crave has gotten their hands on some scans from the inside of the newest issue of Empire that provide looks at an assortment of characters, including the first shots of Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger and even a teeny, tiny look at Tommy Lee Jones, who plays Col. Chester Phillips. The spread also gives us another look at Chris Evans in full Cap uniform (including helmet), once again making the argument that he looks totally badass.

Check out three of the pics below and for more head on over to Screen Crave. For more on Captain America: The First Avenger, head on over to our Blend Film Database

Apparently the Bucky Barnes floodgates have opened. It was just a little while ago that the first, albeit grainy, picture of the superhero sidekick came online, and now director Joe Johnston has spilled a bit about what we can expect from the character in Captain America: The First Avenger.

The Los Angeles Times recently spoke with Johnston about the character and he assures us that the character won't be the goofy tag-along character that was first introduced back in the 1940s. Instead, the portrayal, by actor Sebastian Stan, goes in a much darker direction and is no longer the Robin to Captain America's Batman. Talking about how Stan was originally a candidate for the lead role, the director saw a "bad-boy" side to him that he didn't feel fit the all-American Cap, but could introduce something new to the sidekick.

There has also been some significant changes to the origin story of both characters. In the movie, Steve Rogers and Bucky were both orphans that grew up together who decide to serve their country during World War II. While Bucky has no problem joining the service and is sent overseas, Steve is seen as being too sickly. As a result, Steve volunteers for the secret Super Soldier experiment that turns him into Captain America. As a result, Cap is no longer a father figure to Bucky, but rather closer to an equal.

While comic purists may end up being disappointed by this, it truly is a necessary change. Playing Bucky like Burt Ward from the old Adam West Batman television series would never fly today and would absolutely tank the movie. If they are going in the darker direction, however, one must wonder if we might see a Winter Soldier movie some time in the future.

The article also contains a much clearer look at Sebastian Stan as Bucky, part of which you can see above. For the rest of the picture, head on over to The Los Angeles Times.

With the exception of seeing the villain with his mask on, we're pretty well covered in the Captain America: The First Avenger image department. With the trailer set to premiere this Sunday, we've already gotten a look at Cap in full uniform, Peggy Carter, Johann Schmidt (before Red Skull-ifying), and even some fancy HYDRA agents. One character we've yet to see, however, has been Cap's loyal sidekick, Bucky Barnes. That changes...now.

French blog Les Toiles Heroiques (via Coming Soon) has posted three new images from Joe Johnston's Marvel blockbuster that they scanned from the French edition of Premiere. Two of the photos simply show more HYDRA agents and Johann Schmidt, but the best one has Bucky, played by Sebastian Stan, ready to fire off some rounds from a sniper rifle. Also interesting, the article that the images ran with says that Chris Evans isn't contracted to nine films like previously thought, but rather six. While obviously much smaller, that's still a considerable number of movies for one character.

Head over to Les Toiles Heroiques for the rest.

One of the biggest concerns for comic book fans regarding Captain America: The First Avenger has been the question mark surrounding Joe Johnston. It was just last year that the director made The Wolfman, a critical and box office disappointment that was plagued by problems behind the scenes. Fortunately, however, one very important person also recognizes how bad the movie turned out to be: Joe Johnston.

CBM recently asked Johnston for his thoughts now that the Captain America shoot has wrapped and most of his reflection came in comparison to the trails experienced while filming the Universal monster movie. According to the director, he only had three weeks of prep time to make The Wolfman, which he called a "ridiculously inadequate amount of time to try to bring together the fractured and scattered pieces of the production." He also admitted that he took the job largely as a paycheck, the first time he's ever done so, and he regrets it greatly.

Continuing, Johnston likened the production to "a leaky, rudderless ship in a perfect storm suffering from bad decisions, infighting, reluctance of the powers-that-be to take responsibility, and too many under-qualified cooks in the kitchen." In contrast, Johnston pointed out that he had nearly a year to work on Captain America before heading into production and lauded everyone that worked with him on it.

As I've said before, I can truly appreciate when a filmmaker or actor comes forward and admits that a project they worked on was below their standards and apologizes. There are simply far too many giant egos in Hollywood that can't admit when they've made even the most minor mistake, so this kind of story is always refreshing. The first trailer for Johnston's newest film is expected to drop in the next couple weeks, so here's hoping that all of his hard work pays off.

Following the release of the Thor trailer last month, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige went online for an open chat with fans. Among the questions asked was when we might see the first trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger. Without giving a specific date, Feige responded by saying that they were working on the trailer and that it would be released in the new year. Well, last night at midnight it officially became 2011, and now we have our first footage from the upcoming Joe Johnston superhero film... kind of.

Entertainment Tonight recently ran a promo for their visit to the set of Captain America that shows star Chris Evans moving in the suit for the first time, but, sadly, the whole thing only clocks in at about six seconds. It appears that it is unknown as to when the show will run the report, but when they do you can be sure it will be filled with questions about on-set romances and work out routines.

Check out the very brief clip below.

We've already gotten a good look at the images from Captain America: The First Avenger that Entertainment Weekly published last week. But what do all of these images mean, exactly? Sure, we can look at them and send our best Marvel universe experts to interpret them (which we did-- thanks Eric!), but what better way to put the images in context than to get explanation from the director himself, Joe Johnston?

The tireless geeks over at Comic Book Movie did just that, going over each image with Johnston to hear not just what they're depicting, but also some behind-the-scenes details about where they're shooting and what we might not be seeing just outside the frame. Check out two images below that come with my favorite explanations from Johnston, and click over to Comic Book Movie for the whole thing, to hear about the rebirth pod that turns Steve Rogers into Captain America, where they constructed Allied Headquarters, and the working submarine they built specifically for the movie.

The 1990 version of Captain America is, by all accounts, a horrible movie. Made on a shoestring budget, there isn't a damn thing in the movie that works effectively. Counted amongst these sins is the films treatment of The Red Skull, one of Marvel's classic villains who was reduced to a bad German accent and a Halloween mask. It will be quite hard for Joe Johnston's upcoming adaptation, with Hugo Weaving in the role, to do any worse, but Marvel President Kevin Feige is here to raise our expectations.

Total Film recently sat down with Feige to discuss the upcoming films on Marvel's slate, and, in addition to talking about filming in the UK (most of the movie takes place in Europe, after all), he also talked about Hugo Weaving in the role of the villain, saying,

Many are going to call foul at the fact that the Red Skull is a CGI effect, but I'm choosing to hold my tongue until I see the result. In the comics, Hitler gives Johann Schmidt an actual mask to wear, and if the CGI makes it look in any way artificial it will be a detriment. That said, the further we get away from this the better.

In addition to its main cast, Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger is packed with some tremendously talented actors. While everyone's attention will be on Chris Evans and his star spangled shield, audiences will be treated to Tommy Lee Jones as army Col. Chester Phillips, Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dogan and Stanley Tucci as the man who gave Cap his powers, Dr. Abraham Erskine. I had the opportunity to speak with Tucci about the role, but, sadly, we might not be seeing too much of him.

Speaking with the veteran actor at the junket for the upcoming comedy Easy A, Tucci revealed that he will only be in about six scenes. For those familiar with the character, this makes plenty of sense, as Erskine is assassinated in the comics during the procedure that turns Steve Rogers into the titular superhero. Though he has a limited role, Tucci had nothing but nice things to say about the project, commenting that it has a "Really well written script, really well written."

It's too bad that we won't be seeing much of Tucci, but we can hope that writers Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Joss Whedon gave him a lot to work with in his scenes. After all, we're talking about Stanley Tucci with a German accent. Who doesn't want more of that?

The news The Los Angeles Times is trumpeting in their piece today is that Captain America and Thor will be in 3D, but that should really come as no surprise to anyone who's been following the trajectory of Hollywood and the blockbusters they want to milk dry. The real news, though, is the image that goes along with the story-- the first official shot of Anthony Hopkins in costume as Odin, flanked by Chris Hemsworth as Thor (hammer in hand) and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. It's the first time we've seen all three characters together and the first glimpse we've gotten of Loki at all. Way to bury the lead, LA Times.

To be fair, the 3D story itself is a good one, including interviews with Thor director Kenneth Branagh and Captain America director Joe Johnston about their decisions to use the technology. Both admitted they were skeptical at first-- "" think it tends to be overused and can be a little bit gimmicky," Johnston admitted-- but after tests both with post-production 3D conversion and the 3D camera rigs themselves, they were convinced. Both movies will be converted after the fact, but Marvel president Kevin Feige was careful to note that the special effects have been conceived in 3D from the beginning, which will hopefully help avoid the horrible 3D that we could call the Clash of the Titans effect.

Feige particularly emphasized the "citadels of Asgard and the rainbow bridge at its gates" in Thor as effects that will work well in 3D:

The article also spends some time discussing Marvel's presence at Comic Con next week and the fact that they'll be announcing some major Avengers news, but they don't say if we'll be seeing any Thor and Cap footage in 3D by then. I'd imagine nothing from Captain America will be ready yet, but Thor has been filming for a while, and surely there's at least been enough time to post-convert a short sizzle reel? Either way we'll be on hand to let you know-- and hopefully get a much closer look at that hammer in Thor's hand. Speaking of which, check out a larger version of the above image below.

Although he hasn’t always picked the best roles, Chris Evans remains a fun actor who always does what actors are meant to do... entertain. Now that he’s busy competing with Ryan Reynolds for the “most superhero roles” award, all eyes are on him as he prepares to take on the biggest and riskiest role of his career, Captain America.

The filmic Brits over at Empire caught up with the Not Another Teen Movie star to chat him up about how the film is coming along and more importantly about what the new suit will be like:

Sounds like they’re right on track to hit the goal portrayed in the concept art that was released about a month ago. He went on to say that he thinks they got the costume right, even though they “completely ruined” the casting. Captain America is hilariously self-deprecating.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Cap if he didn’t have his shield so Empire tried to get a few answers of of Evans on that subject as well.

Evans may not have the strength to hurl a hundred pound adamantium shield very far, but he seems really enthusiastic about the role despite the initial outrage surrounding his casting. Captain America: The First Avenger is currently filming so expect many more updates very soon. It hits theaters July 22nd of next year.

Last month, whist being interviewed for Leicester Square TV, Captain America star Haley Atwell, who will play Cap's squeeze, Peggy Carter, confirmed that Tommy Lee Jones, who had previously been rumored for a part in the film, was cast in the upcoming superhero film. As we learned last week, however, with the revelation that Teresa Palmer would not appear in Mad Max: Fury Road, co-stars aren't necessarily the most reliable source of casting info. So is Tommy Lee Jones really a part of Captain America: The First Avenger?

The answer is yes, and who he is playing has also been confirmed. Marvel Studios has issued a press release announcing that Jones has indeed joined the cast and will play the role of US Army Colonel Chester Phillips. In the comics, it is Phillips who initially recruits the young Steve Rogers into the Super Soldier Serum experiment that eventually turns Rogers into the hero known as Captain America. In addition to Atwell and Chris Evans, who will be playing the title character, the cast also includes Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull, Sebastian Stan as the young Bucky Barnes, and Stanley Tucci as scientist and serum inventor Abraham Erskine.

You can check out the full press release below. Whatever doubts you might have about Joe Johnston as a director and the project as a whole, it's hard to deny that they are putting together a stellar cast.

Despite being the film capital of the world, it's actually fairly expensive to make a movie in Los Angeles. While studios are sometimes willing to shell out the dough, it's often much cheaper to go out of state or even out of country where they can receive tax incentives. While this occasionally leads to geographical goofs, they typically go unnoticed by those that don't read about films while they are in production. What this means is that next summer most people aren't going to know that the stateside scenes in The First Avenger: Captain America were filmed only a few miles away from Big Ben.

The Los Angeles Times reports that, in spite of the title, Joe Johnston's superhero flick will be doing all of its filming in London, England. While the plan has always been to make the film in southern California using stages for interior shots and shooting elsewhere for exterior shots, Marvel Studios co-President Louis D'Esposito said that, "it would have required so much visual-effects work and set construction [that] it didn't make sense." Due to the film's budget, Captain America would have been ineligible for California's tax credit but will be receiving 20% to 25% on qualified expenditures from the British capital. Ironically, D'Esposito was recently commended by the Los Angeles City Council for keeping filming locations local and putting money back into the city.

While not making a film with “America” in the title in the United States is a bit strange, it’s hard to fault D’Esposito for his decision. With some exceptions, such as the story's bookends, the bulk of the feature will see Cap fighting German forces in Europe. There are still question marks as to whether the movie-going public will accept the Star-Spangled Avenger the same way they have accepted Iron Man and it doesn't make sense for them to blow millions of dollars just for a "Made in America" sticker.

Universal's classic monsters haven't fared terribly well in recent years. Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster got arty, modern revamps in the '90s courtesy of Francis Ford Coppola and Kenneth Branagh, respectively. The Mummy became the star of a series of silly summer movies that were eventually swallowed up by the law of diminishing returns. A Creature From the Black Lagoon remake has been in and out of development hell for years. Nobody's seen the Invisible Man in ages. Hell, Van Helsing nearly killed all these immortal icons in one fell swoop thanks to the one weapon against which there is no defense: a truly atrocious script.

This past February one of the classic monsters got another chance to light up the silver screen, thanks to director Joe Johnston's Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, from a script by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en) and David Self (Road to Perdition). Our own Katey Rich didn't think the remake was anything to howl about, but if you missed it you can make up your own mind June 1st, when The Wolfman arrives on Blu-ray and DVD...a few days after the full moon sets, thankfully.

Both versions will include both the rated and unrated versions of the film, plus extended and deleted scenes. If you're a fan of the movie, though, you definitely might want to splurge for the Blu-ray, because it's got several more special features and two alternate endings.

The Wolfman Blu-ray Bonus Features

• Access to more thrilling exclusive content through BD-Live™, pocket BLU™ app and UniversalHiDef.com -- includes the first ever online streaming of the original 1941 classic The Wolf Man.
• Two alternate endings not seen in theatres
• Return of the Wolfman: This featurette will look at how Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Joe Johnston and the creative team behind this new retelling have tapped into the tragic roots of legend and cinematic lore to unleash a new terror for today’s audience.
• The Beast Maker: A detailed look at how make-up wizard Rick Baker transformed a classic monster into a modern nightmare!
• Transformation Secrets: Whether transforming werewolves, producing hallucinogenic nightmares or recreating the fog-covered streets of Victorian London, this featurette will look at how the visual effects team has created a haunting world of moonlit monsters and unsettling thrills.
• The Wolfman Unleashed: The team behind the stunt and action units share the physical challenges of bringing the Wolfman to life and creating a series of intense and action-oriented set pieces, climaxing with the dynamic werewolf battle at Talbot Hall.
• Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
• Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.
• Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
• Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™ app-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
• Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard that will facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.
• social BLU™: Connect with friends on your favorite social networks to share information about your favorite movies, enjoy Blu-ray™ community features and more!
• U-Control™: Universal’s exclusive feature that lets the viewer access bonus materials without leaving the movie!
• Werewolf Legacy, Lore and Legend: This feature gives viewers a visual tour through more than 70 years of Universal’s Wolf Man films and thousands of years of werewolf mythology.
• Take Control: Special Makeup Artist Rick Baker, Visual Effects Producer Karen Murphy-Mundell and Director of Photography Shelly Johnson take control of the viewing experience in this unique feature, offering a personal visual commentary by engaging with select scenes of the film to reveal details of the filmmaking process.

Not only is Joss Whedon now directing The Avengers, not only is he also rewriting the script, but he's apparently being given the entire Marvel universe on a platter. Well, OK, just Captain America. Pajiba is reporting that Whedon will be lending his skills with brainy dialogue and plotting to the script for The First Avenger: Captain America, which had originally been written by Chronicles of Narnia team Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus.

Captain America is the last of the Marvel movies to get going before The Avengers assembles, and the only one that can still be rewritten in order to fit in with whatever Whedon has planned for the movie he'll direct. It makes sense to try and unify the movies as much as possible, and you can bet that Thor and the original Captain America script both did their best to mimic the tone of Iron Man. It's an open question, though of how much Whedon influence we'll actually see on the final product. He's carried a very distinct voice in his TV projects, but as a screenwriter on Toy Story and Titan A.E., he was seemingly pretty good at just writing for the needs of the story. As Whedon is given more and more power in writing the Marvel universe, it seems less likely that we'll see Cap and Iron Man wisecracking like Buffy and their friends.

Regardless of which Whedon we're getting, though, we know for a fact that we're getting a talented writer, something that wasn't as certain with the Cap script from McFeely and Markus, who made the Narnia movies serviceable but kind of a snore. As someone who never quite jived with the super-witty, silly style of Whedon's TV shows, I'm actually more excited to see how he can put his storytelling skills to a more straightforward script. And with The Wolfman's Joe Johnston still, inexplicably, in charge of Captain America, it may very well need all the help it can get.

Presumably Joe Johnston is losing his mind in preparation to start filming First Avenger: Captain America, now that he's actually managed to bring Chris Evans on board to play the title role. So it's beyond me how Ed Gross, of the fansite Earth's Mightiest, managed to snag an interview with the guy, but it happened, and he's not just explaining how they brought Evans on board, but how they'll portray him both as "98-pound weakling Steve Rogers" and the bulky and heroic Cap.

As for casting Evans, it pretty much happened exactly as we guessed-- he wasn't part of that drawn-out casting process at all, but was brought in based on his previous work:

What's most interesting about this article isn't his gushing over Chris Evans-- that's generally what you do when a movie star signs on to your superhero movie-- but his promise that Evans will play Cap through all his iterations, and that they "can't divulge" how it will happen. Given recent news that the Green Lantern's costume may be entirely CGI, pretty much anything seems possible. Are we going to see some Benjamin Button technology to digitally add and remove rippling pecs from Evans' body?

In all of the chaos that has surrounded the casting of Captain America for Joe Johnston's First Avenger: Captain America, it has been kind of easy to forget that there are other characters in the film (after all, the hero's name is in the title). But where you have a superhero, you need a supervillain, which for Cap has always been the Red Skull, the former Nazi general officer who has been doing battle with Cap since the character's introduction in 1941. The casting process for the Red Skull has been all but silent since we learned he would be the villain in February. Until now, that is.

THR reports that Mr. Smith himself, Hugo Weaving, is currently in talks for the role as the evil German combatant. Weaving most recently played Inspector Abberline in Johnston's The Wolfman, which was released last month to not-so-great results. The news source says that the results of the negotiations should come out in the next few days.

One doesn't have to look any further than The Matrix films to know that Weaving has the skills to play a more-than-formidable opponent. I can't vouch for the actor's ability to put on a German accent, but frankly, anything has to be better than this:

Deadline, like everyone else, claims to know the names of the actors in contention to play Captain American in Joe Johnston’s upcoming First Avenger movie. Their list is full mostly of unknowns but does, bizarrely, include The Office’s John Krasinski. Jim as a superhero? Sorry Deadline, I’ve got a hard time believing in that possibility. They also Garrett Hedlund, the currently unknown but soon to be famous star of Tron: Legacy. That at least makes sense.

Here’s the list:

More interesting than that only vaguely believable shortlist is the notion that whoever gets the job will end up signing a deal which includes an option for an eye-popping 9 future films. Those would include sequels, other Avengers movies, and pretty much anything else wants. That’s good news really, proof of Marvel’s commitment to create a superhero universe which has real continuity. Captain America, as the leader of the Avengers, is the lynchpin in all of that. It may not be particularly good news for whoever gets the job though, since word is that the lesser knowns on the list would only make around $300,000 for the first film.

Joe Johnston has yet another update on where he’s at with his Captain America movie. Ready for it? Brace yourselves. They’re almost ready to do something!

For years now the internet has been flooded with a wide variety of Captain America casting rumors. Many of them may even have been real, some of those people could have been considered by the studio before being abandoned to go in another direction. But after all the waiting, though the movie has a director, there’s still no Cap. Johnston promises that’s about to change. Talking to Sci-Fi Wire he says, “We have a very short list, but we're still juggling actors here. I'd say within the next couple of weeks we'll have ourselves a Captain America, I hope.”

At least they’re narrowing it down. Thus far everyone from Matthew McConaughey to Will Smith has been rumored for the part. My favorite name so far though, is lesser-known John Barrowman. John first came to prominence as a recurring character on BBC’s newest version of Doctor Who, where he played an all-American Cap type (who happened to be really into kissing dudes). The character was so popular he eventually got his own series, if you’ve heard of something called Torchwood, then you know that Barrowman is the reason to watch it.

John is actually rather famous over in Great Britain, but he hasn’t really had his day yet here in America. He’s a perfect fit for the character. Yeah I know, they’re almost certain to go with a bigger name. But here’s hoping that Barrowman is at least a contender. Joe, make sure he’s on your short list.

Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?

With The Wolfman set to come out on the 12th, Joe Johnston will be making the rounds promoting the film over the next couple of weeks. Universal may have a problem, however: people are infinitely more excited for Johnston's next film, The First Avenger: Captain America, than they are for a remake of the classic monster movie. The director will certainly be asked about the lupine flick, but news outlets are going to do their best to squeeze out as much as they can about next summer's blockbuster, and Film Journal is no exception.

The site recently interviewed Johnston, and while 90% of the article is about his latest film, they were able to pull some teeth and get the director to spill any details he could. He obliged:

Prep? Really? I understand that post-production on The Wolfman has been a bit of a nightmare, but the film was announced months ago and is scheduled to get going in June (to compare, Thor will be sent to theaters only two months before First Avenger and started filming with a full cast last month.) I'm not saying that they shouldn't be focusing on the look of the film, in fact, quite the opposite: it's going to take many man-hours to make Captain America look normal in what, let's admit, is a rather goofy costume. But it may be time to start not only posting pictures on the wall, but perhaps start the casting process and the millions of other details that need to be taken care of during pre-production of a major film. Chris Hemsworth was chosen to play Thor seven months before the cameras started rolling. So I will ask the real question that all those journalists really want to know: who is going to play Cap?

With the Iron Man 2 trailer exploding online in December, shooting for Thor starting up on Tuesday and Louis Leterrier beginning his campaign for the helm, the idea of The Avengers is becoming more and more of a reality, with the exception of one major component - Captain America. While filming for Cap's solo film, The First Avenger: Captain America, isn't scheduled to start until the summer, director Joe Johnston and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have been attached for quite a while now without a single casting announcement or any real plot hints. Fortunately for Marvel fans, Johnson has a film coming out next month, The Wolfman, meaning he will be open and available to the media. Guess what they're going to ask him about?

In an interview with BoxOffice.com (albeit abbreviated for now), Johnston was asked point blank to give some details about First Avenger that we haven't already heard. Rather than simply dole out a boring block quote, here are some nice, neatly organized bullet points for you to peruse:

• "It's not going to be a Captain America that you expect." - As faithful as some film adaptations of comic books have been, there has yet to be a completely faithful one in the bunch. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man had organic webbing. Jon Favreau's Iron Man went from the Vietnam War to the War on Terror in Afghanistan. Bryan Singer's X-Men became homosexuals. This isn't really new and certainly no reason to get riled up.
• 
  
  
• "It's the origin story of Captain America. It's mostly period—there are modern, present-day bookends on it" - We have actually known for awhile now that Cap would be kept back during World War II, but the bookends are interesting. My assumption is that the end will feature our hero being unfrozen, but I now wonder how the film will open.
• 
  
  
• "The great thing about Captain America is he's a super hero without any super powers... He's an every man who's been given this amazing gift of transformation into the perfect specimen—the pinnacle of human perfection." - Batman on steroids. Nothing to complain about here.
• 
  
  
• "But at the heart of it, it's a story about this kid who all he wants to do is fit in... And he has to prove himself a hero" - The concept sounds a bit Spider-Man-esque to me, but every comic book movie needs a human element. Otherwise all you have is a Michael Bay film.
• 
  
  
• "Well, I figure humans buy tickets to go see the movies. We might as well make stories about humans. After all, robots don't buy tickets." - See previous statement about Michael Bay

But guess who's not done? After all, Johnston isn't just the man bringing us some Captain America action, but could also be the man behind the resurgence of Jurassic Park. In addition to confirming that a script for a fourth installment does in fact exist, Johnston confirmed that not only will the film definitley happen, but would be the start of another trilogy that will break away from what was established in the first three mives. Quite a bit for one interview, no?

While there is very little Johnston could have said to get me less pumped for some Vibranium shield throwing action, I remain on the fence about bringing back the dino park. Jurassic Park III was an incredible disaster that stopped the franchise for a decade and it might not be the greatest idea to bring it all back with the guy who was responsible. Then again, Joe Johnston also did the final designs on Boba Fett, so I think I can forgive him

Amid all the Marvel superhero movies going into production right now, the biggest mystery is Captain America, a movie that has been greenlit and assigned a director (Wolfman's Joe Johnston), but still doesn't have a leading man-- at least, one who's been announced.

That's probably about to change, though. Fangoria (via Coming Soon) interviewed Johnston about the film, and described Johnston as "speaking from the art department of The First Avenger: Captain America, which he's readying for a June start."

The movie is set for a July 22, 2011 release date, which means they'll have to make very, very quick work to get it finished in time. If they're keeping the same release date-- and remember, this has been set as part of a ton of Marvel films that will culminate in The Avengers-- then they'll have to start working quickly in the new year to get cast and crew put together. And that means we'll probably know shortly which hot young actor-- Bradley Cooper? Will Smith? Joseph Gordon-Levitt?-- will put on Cap's helmet. Begin your guessing now.