Captain America finds his love interest

The role of Peggy Carter in Joe Johnston’s First Avenger: Captain America has been cast – and it’s been awarded to a British actress.

Hayley Atwell of The Duchess fame has landed the coveted job, swooping in to fill the space vacated by Emily Blunt, and knocking out other Brit contenders Alice Eve and Keira Knightley.

Peggy Carter is an agent who helps the French Resistance during World War II and is romantically involved with Captain America (Chris Evans). In the comics, Captain America is frozen post-war, wakes up in present day and winds up dating Peggy’s niece Sharon. Nice.

Atwell first appeared on the big screen with a little help from Woody Allen in 2007’s Cassandra’s Dream . She then went on to don olde age frocks as Bess Foster in The Duchess and Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited .

Marvel have noted that the character of Carter will be “updated for the feature adaptation”, which presumably means she’ll get to kick a bit of booty and wear some snazzy outfits.

For those just joining us, the studio also go on to confirm in their press release that the Captain America flick “will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America”.

In other words: this is an origins story.

Atwell joins the already-cast Sebastian Stan (soon to be seen in Hot Tub Time Machine ) as sidekick Bucky, while Hugo Weaving is apparently still in talks to play the film’s nightmarish villain Red Skull.

How do you think the CA casting is shaping up?