Captain America 2 director prospects down to 3

I've never been a huge fan of Captain America. The idea always seemed kind of ridiculous to me. I went into last year's film with zero expectations and while it wasn't mind blowing it was certainly a satisfying film. At the time I also had the privilege to sit with a co-worker whose enthusiasm for Captain America is unparalleled. He loved it. His main concern, as is the case for many iconic fictional heroes brought to the big screen, was would the director's vision reflect the fans' vision. Director Joe Johnston passed that litmus test with flying colors.

With the release of The Avengers just over a month away and Iron Man 3 just starting principal photography, it's not surprising that Marvel Studios is pushing for a Captain America sequel. The jury is still out on who will helm the followup to the 2011 film, however according to "Vulture" the studios have narrowed it down to F. Gary Gray, George Nolfi, and duo Anthony and Joseph Russo.

So that means you have a person who directed Friday, a person who directed The Adjustment Bureau, and two people who directed episodes of "Community" and You, Me, and Dupree. You'll pardon me if I don't faint in excitement. It seems to me that these are three very weak choices. The first and third choices are comedy-centric directors and this is a comic book action movie. Apparently, Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios president of production, is a big "vibe" guy and feels that these are the right choices. Um excuse me but doesn't it stand to reason that the president of a major movie production studio should be making their decisions based on the director's history and if they are right for the project? Don't get me wrong I think gut instinct is a key part, but you shouldn't base all decisions on "vibes." I'm sure people had good vibes about Bernie Madoff and look how that turned out.

The other thing that puzzles me is where is Joe Johnston in all this? Captain America made over $368.5 million worldwide last year. He had to have been doing something right. Maybe he's disinterested in the project. I hope it's not a studio thing. Either way I don't have any real emotional investment in the director for the Captain America sequel, I just hope this isn't indicative of how Marvel Studios plans to run things going forward.