Krasinski as Cap? Is This Some Kind of Office Prank?
By Christopher Campbell | Posted Under Blog Trends | Comments (32)
Could The Office’s John Krasinski really be a top contender for the role of Captain America? That’s what she said! She being traffic-boasting blogger Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood. Me thinks Marvel is pulling a prank on Finke, like when Jim wrapped Dwight’s desk, chair and supplies in wrapping paper — which actually turned out NOT to in fact be the desk, chair and supplies but just carefully sculpted wrapped air (or something).
Anyway, it’s one of those things that’s fun to imagine, true or not, plausible or not, yadda-yadda-yadda, so I like the game that’s being played here. Personally, I’d love to see Krasinski in the role, but only if Rainn Wilson is Red Skull, Jenna Fischer is Bernie Rosenthal (or whoever his girlfriend is), Steve Carell is Hitler, B.J. Novak is Pfc. Smithson Utivich (crossover!), Creed is Baron Strucker, John Locke is Howard Hughes (crossover-crossover!), Ed Helms is Union Jack, Oscar Nunez is Bucky and Mindy Kaling is in every scene. And obviously it’s shot like a documentary.
Seriously, though, I wouldn’t mind seeing Krasinski hanging with Robert Downey Jr. in the Avengers mansion. Bein’ funny and stuff.
Here are some reactions from around the blogosphere to the idea of Krasinski playing Steve “Cap” Rogers:
- First, Finke’s full list of supposed candidates:
Most but by no means all of the contenders are young hunks who come from both movies and television — Chace Crawford (CW’s Gossip Girl), John Krasinski (NBC’s The Office), Scott Porter (NBC’s Friday Night Lights), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Michael Cassidy (CW’s Privileged), Patrick Flueger (Brothers). They also wanted Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy), but he so far hasn’t made a test deal.
- Mark at I Watch Stuff:
You can’t see this, but my reaction is deadpanned exasperation at the camera.
- Kyle Buchanan at Movieline:
Pros: Probably the best actor of the bunch, and the biggest name. Certainly, the curiosity factor would be high.
Cons: Wow, really? John Krasinski? It would certainly erode his typecasting — still, Krasinski hasn’t had the best luck with big-screen projects (see License to Wed, Leatherheads).
Physique: Tall, skinny and hairy, though we’d love to see how they explain Jim’s sudden bulking-up on The Office. - Lane Brown at Vulture:
Given that Krasinski’s is probably the most expensive name in an otherwise cheap group, we’ll assume he’s at a disadvantage here. And because Marvel would require whomever they hire to sign on for nine additional films, including sequels and Avengers movies, he might not go for it anyway. But we’d happily tolerate a Captain America who looks straight into the camera to see how The Office’s writers explain Jim’s new muscle mass.
- Kevin Jagernauth at The Playlist:
The stars of “The Office” and “Gossip Girl” (that alone should take them out of contention), we think, are too clean cut and lack the imposing presence and leadership the role requires. While they might be a good fit for the early part of the origin film, before Steve Rogers undergoes his transformation, we don’t see them tackling the post-transformation “psychology” convincingly. And unless these guys get seriously roided out, or “Captain America” ends up being a completely CGI character like Hulk (which isn’t entirely out of the question and seems more likely given the names we’re seeing) we don’t think either of those guys stand a chance doing the physical stuff either.
- Neil Miller at Film School Rejects:
I wonder how they would transform someone like Krasinski into an eternal badass like Cap. There’s not enough CGI technology in James Cameron’s garage to make that one work. I can’t support this choice either, no matter how much I think Krasinski should get more work.
- Vince Mancini at FilmDrunk:
First, let’s throw out Krasinski, because he isn’t really right for the part. People complained about the idea of casting a foreigner as Captain America, but as you can see, the problem with that is that most younger, American actors tend to be fruity wienerfaces. I blame the Disney Channel. Clearly, we’re in desperate need of an American Statham.
- Ethan Anderton at First Showing:
I think the elephant in the room here is John Krasinski. I’m sorry, I do love the guy, but his awkward demeanor, goofy faces and comedic sensibilities are not what Captain America needs. That doesn’t mean I don’t think he deserves a chance to branch out from comedy, but I think this is quite a big undertaking for his first venture out of that territory, not to mention that, despite probably being able to pull off the sickly Steve Rogers before the super soldier serum is brought into play, I just can’t see him as a buff superhero.
Then again, Tobey Maguire seemed more Peter Parker than Spider-Man and I was pretty pleased with his work.
- Nick Newman at The Film Stage:
There seems to be a generally negative reaction to his potential casting, but I’m going to have be contrary here and say that I like it. Admittedly we haven’t seen anything from him that would indicate leading role material, but we could have said the same about Robert Downey Jr. three years ago, or even Chris Hemsworth now for that matter(and no, the opening scene of Star Trek doesn’t really count).
Marvel’s casting choices for their heroes have been fairly unconventional and seem to have paid off. I never could have pictured Edward Norton as the Incredible Hulk, but I felt he did a fine job with that role as, of course, Downey Jr. did with Tony Stark. So, for now, let’s not completely rule out his ability to play Captain America. If he even gets the role.
- John Gholson at Cinematical:
If true, it’s an inspired choice. I’ve been around long enough to remember people crying foul over the casting of Michael Keaton as Batman or some unknown named Hugh Jackman getting the role of Wolverine right at the last minute. Remember the fan outcry when they announced pretty-boy Heath Ledger as the Joker? That turned out pretty well, didn’t it? I have no doubt that Krasinski would do his best to bring the Marvel character to life, if the rumor holds true.
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Comments
Posted by: Jerce at February 24, 2010 7:13 PM
If I cared, I would probably be mildly irritated by this rumor.