Robert Redford is in talks to join Marvel Phase 2 sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier , according to a scoop by Deadline .
The erstwhile Sundance Kid is set to join the comic-book universe as a top-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and by Deadline ’s reckoning, he could appear across multiple movies in the same vein as Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. Perhaps it’s a leap too far to imagine Redford cameoing in the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, though.
While it’s no surprise to see such a celebrated A-lister on a Marvel movie - the studio have previously bagged the likes of Jeff Bridges, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Tommy Lee Jones and more - Redford is an unexpected coup, given his association with independent filmmaking (via his involvement with The Sundance Film Festival).
It’ll be interesting to see Redford going toe-to-toe with Jackson though, as he’ll hopefully do in Captain America 2 . There had been previous hints that CA2 might explore Nick Fury’s origins as a soldier, although that has yet to be confirmed.
Starring Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and Emily VanCamp, Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in the UK on 4 April 2014.