Anyway, Deadline is reporting that Neal McDonough, who most will recognize from Minority Report or as the bad guy in Walking Tall, is in final talks to play the role of Dum Dum Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger. Dugan is Nick Fury's best friend and right hand man, serving with him during WWII in the Howling Commandos and later on in S.H.I.E.L.D. More than likely McDonough will be taking on the younger version of Dugan, working alongside Samuel L. Jackson. It remains to be seen whether or not he'll contine on in the role once the story moves into the present day.
The big news is something I've been saying a small prayer for since the rumor first cropped up last November, and I couldn't be less religious if my name was Bill Maher. It's looking like Jeremy Renner(The Hurt Locker
) is now on the verge of signing on to play Hawkeye in Marvel's upcoming superhero team-up, The Avengers. Last we heard, Renner had backed out of the idea of playing the part. Hawkeye was rumored to be showing up in Kenneth Branagh's Thor at that time, but details on it were unavailable. So rather than speculate idly, Renner pretty much took his name out of the hat. Now with The Avengers really gaining steam, Thor's story pretty much solidified, it's looking like talks have resumed. This would likely be a multi-picture deal, with Hawkeye's part rumored to be pretty small right off the bat, leaving enough time for Renner to do Avengers and P.T. Anderson's film, The Master, if it ever gets off the ground. Expect Hawkeye's role to expand, possibly leading to a spinoff down the line.
