Hugo Weaving to Play the Red Skull in Captain America?
Posted 03.13.10 by Ryan
Marvel may still be searching for the right actor to fill the red, white and blue uniform of the lead role in The First Avenger: Captain America, but they are one step closer to finding their villain. THR reports that Hugo Weaving is in negotiations to play the Red Skull, Captain America's lifelong nemesis and Adolph Hitler's right-hand man. While their battle begins in World War II, Captain America is frozen in ice and Red Skull is suspended in animation and both end up in modern day times to continue their battle. The Red Skull was also the nemesis in the 1990s version of Captain America.
Should the role go to Weaving it would reunite him with The Wolfman director Joe Johnston, and add to his list of on screen villains such as Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, V in V For Vendetta, and the voice of Megatron in both Transformers movies. Marvel is notoriously frugal with their salaries for actors — at one point almost losing Mickey Rourke for Iron Man 2 and Samuel L. Jackson for all the Marvel movies because the salary was too small — and also require multi-movie commitments, all of which may eventually ruin the negotiations.
At this rate, chances are the decision over Weaving's casting will be answered before a final decision is made on who will play Captain America.