Bye bye rumors, hello official casting. Captain America has found his leading lady and she’s not Emily Blunt, Keira Knightley or Alice Eve, she’s Hayley Atwell. As reported by THR, it was a successful screen test in London just last week that sealed the deal for 28-year-old actress.
Just like her competition, Atwell hails from England. Unlike her competition, Atwell is not a household name in the states. In the UK, she’s popular for films like Brideshead Revisited and The Duchess, but her work has gone somewhat unnoticed by the US general public. In fact, it’s gone unnoticed by me, so I’m in no position to criticize or praise her casting.
Here’s a little Peggy Carter 101 straight from Marvel Studios’ official press release (via ComingSoon), “In the early comics, Peggy Carter fell in love with Captain America while they fought together in the war effort.” The studio also notes that the role will be updated for the film version.
So, in a nutshell, here’s where we’re at with Captain America: Chris Evans is our hero, Sebastian Stan is his sidekick, Buck Barnes, Atwell is his leading lady and Hugo Weaving is still working out the details to take the role of the film’s villain, Red Skull. Captain America will shoot in England this summer and is set to arrive in theaters on July 22nd, 2011.
By Perri Nemiroff
