After suggesting that they would have a Captain America 3 meeting with Marvel and directors Anthony and Joe Russo immediately after a Den of Geek interview last week, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely discussed whether the third installment will adapt another story arc a la The Winter Soldier and incorporate the upcoming sequel's open threads. "Oh yeah, you can probably predict some of the threads we would like to pick up again that we’ve laid out there," assures McFeely. "And we always go back to the comics and dive back in and look at anything we’ve missed in the last few years that might be relevant." Markus chimed: "We’ve definitely set out on a more realistic road in the Cap movies, you know. Even more grounded than in the other MCU movies. And so it kind of rules out Cap fighting the Dinosaur Man or something like that. There are some that aren’t gonna start and other ones that -- I mean there’s a couple we’re playing with right now that we really want to take elements from. Which we'll not reveal." When pressed for more, "All I’m saying is psychotic 1950s Cap."
Earlier in the Q&A, the screenwriters were asked if they approach adapting a story in the sense of a novel - taking big-screen worthy elements and keeping it faithful to the tone. "Exactly right!" said Stephen McFeely. "Like, you know, we kind of knew we’re not gonna use the Cosmic Cube. We’ve been there, we’ve done that. He’s not Russian exactly. He’s not a Soviet experiment." "We didn’t want to bring back the Skull so soon... Let alone have him inside the head of somebody else," added Markus. "There were just some things that would be much tougher to do on screen as they are in the comic." When asked about his Red Skull comment, and seemingly whether it was hint at the Captain America 3 foe, "(laughs) I only said that because I think it’s fairly clear he didn’t die in that first movie but [frick]ed off into Wonderland," insisted Markus.
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy — the Winter Soldier. Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Georges St-Pierre, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp and Maximiliano Hernández with Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Redford, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is directed by the team of Anthony & Joe Russo from a screenplay written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Alan Fine, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo and Stan Lee. The creative production team on the film includes director of photography Trent Opaloch, production designer Peter Wenham, editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. and Mary Jo Markey, A.C.E. and three time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is set for release on April 4, 2014.