Chris Evans, formerly the Human Torch, is now Captain America. And, apparently, in front of the camera, that’s all he’s going to be in the near future. And beyond that, he’s not going to be in front of the camera at all.
Variety has a long gushy puff piece about Evans, complete with soulful photographs. But it’s got a theme: Evans is pretty much done acting. And yes, that extends to Cap, although he doesn’t mind the perks:
“Without these movies, I wouldn’t be directing,” he reckons. “They gave me enough overseas recognition to greenlight a movie. And if I’m speaking extremely candidly, it’s going to continue to do that for as long as the Marvel contract runs.”
Keep in mind, Evans hasn’t seen the kind of career benefits being the lead in a Marvel movie is supposed to create. Did you go see Puncture, where he played a drug-addicted shirtless lawyer? No? Neither did anybody else. The same is true of most of his other movies where he’s not flinging a shield. Even Snowpiercer, a worldwide hit, is getting screwed by the distributor.
In fact, being in a Marvel movie only seems to help your career if you’re already a movie star. Compare the career trajectories of, say, Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Hemsworth. Evans, not unreasonably, seems just a bit sick of the whole thing.
Or he could be angling for more money, since Marvel is notoriously cheap with its leads. Evans supposedly got just $300,000 for the first Cap movie, and he’s also got a six-picture contract which will have one movie left after Captain America 3 and Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Essentially, we wouldn’t put much money on seeing Cap after the third Avengers… at least unless Marvel ups his pay.