FIRST LOOK: Hugo Weaving As Red Skull In CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!

Wow. Hugo Weaving looks downright sinister in this first look as Red Skull in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER! We have seen hints of his face before, but what a cool shot this is.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Thanks to Entertainment Weekly for the shot. The premise of the movie, out July 22, is that the serum only brings out the subject’s inner strength. Good guys, like Steve Rogers, remain good guys — only much tougher. Bad guys, like Schmidt, turn into living horrors.

EW also sat down with director Joe Johnston and I have some excerpts:
The strength of heroes is often found in their weaknesses. What vulnerabilities does Captain America have that make him interesting and relatable?
JJ: What I like is he’s not a superhero in the true sense of the word. He becomes a superhero but doesn’t have any super powers. He is just the best possible, human specimen. Imagine the fastest, strongest Olympian athlete. Add 30 percent. That’s Steve Rogers.

After he gets the super-soldier injection, that’s when he becomes the only hope of stopping the Nazis’ Red Skull. Is part of what makes him a hero that he remembers what it was like to be pushed around?
JJ: Yeah, for Steve Rogers it’s a very personal thing. At one point he says, “I don’t like bullies, I don’t care where they’re from.” He makes a complete physical transformation to a perfect human specimen. But inside he doesn’t change at all. It must be tempting to go back and say “I’m going to get that guy who beat me up in high school.” He does get revenge in the film, but on the Nazis — not on people who maybe picked on him. Before he gets the injection, the doctor tells him: “Whatever happens, stay who you are.”

As a fan, and someone who is creating a critical ingredient, what do you expect from this clash of characters in The Avengers?
JJ: The fact that they are all so different is what will make it exciting. You bring these elements together and they all have different outlooks and come from different worlds. I think there is an opportunity for conflict within the group. There’s gotta be. It’s not the Boy Scouts. [Laughs] There’s going to be rivalry and certain amount of infighting and conflict. Like I say I’m going to be there as an audience member like anybody else.

Be sure to read the rest of the interview here.

This movie looks SOLID. Can't freakin' wait! July 22 release for the 3D conversion.