Marvel Officially Announces Tommy Lee Jones For Captain America

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Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men.
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

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.

Marvel Studios announced today that Oscar® winning actor Tommy Lee Jones has been cast to star as US Army Colonel Chester Phillips in the studio’s highly anticipated movie CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER opposite Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan and Stanley Tucci. In the early comics, Phillips recruited Steve Rogers to join Project Rebirth, the secret experiment that created the Super Soldier known as Captain America. The character will be updated for the film. Joe Johnston will direct the film penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel, Nigel Gostelow and Louis D’Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.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.Tommy Lee Jones’ will next be seen in THE COMPANY MEN and is well known for starring in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, the MEN IN BLACK franchise, and THE FUGITIVE for which he won an Academy Award®.In addition to CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Marvel Studios most recently released the highly anticipated sequel, IRON MAN 2, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow on May 7, 2010, and will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including THOR on May 6, 2011, and MARVEL STUDIOS’ THE AVENGERS on May 4, 2012.Tommy Lee Jones is represented by CAA and attorney Bill Jacobson.

Eric Eisenberg
Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.