Chris Evans hints at how long he'll play Captain America

It's amazing to think that, less than six years ago, there was real speculation about whether Captain America -- with his earnestness, unflinching patriotism and strong moral compass -- could translate to modern movie audiences. Flash forward to the present, and not only is Captain America the spiritual anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but an actor who wasn't even in the first round of names mentioned for the role -- Chris Evans -- has fully embodied the character and made it his own. His upcoming fifth starring turn as Steve Rogers, Captain America: Civil War, is poised to be one of the year's biggest blockbusters. 

But Chris Evans lives in the real world, where age and contracts and money can supersede even the most dynamic and personal relationship between a character and an actor. Asked in the past how long he thought he could keep going in the role -- his current contract ends with the two-part Avengers: Infinity War -- Evans has been ambivalent. But that seems to have changed: Speaking with Collider on the same topic, he said he's willing to don the red, white and blue as long as Marvel wants him to:

"We'll see. I know in the comic books that the shield gets passed off. And what you do know, more than anything else in this process -- meeting fans, experiencing these junkets and people who love the character -- the character is bigger than you and whatever the character needs, whatever Marvel needs for that arc, I'm willing to do. So if that is me passing it off, you pass it off. But if they want to make more, I'm ready."

Judging from those and other comments in the interview, Evans seems to honestly love playing Cap and making Marvel movies, but he's also aware that his time in the role could come to an end for any number of reasons. Still, it's nice to know that he seems willing to keep working with Marvel if the company wants him to stay -- which would not be a bad thing at all -- and that Marvel has the option of passing the shield to someone else purely because of the story they're telling, and not a contractual dispute (at least for now).

Would you like to see Chris Evans continue as Cap beyond Infinity War and the end of Marvel's Phase 3 film slate? Or should Marvel decommission the character for a while and let some new heroes step forward?

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SEBASTIAN STAN THINKS CAP-BUCKY ROMANCE IS 'GREAT,' BUT DOESN'T SEE IT AS A REALITY

No one quite expected how well the #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend hashtag would take off, but the outpour of support for a Cap-Bucky romance took Twitter by storm a couple months back. The movement stems from a fan theory that Cap and Bucky are more than friends, with viewers pointing to their on-screen chemistry, and the great lengths Cap goes to save him in "Captain America: Civil War," as sure-fire proof. While those fans are certain a Cap-Bucky romance is implied in the script, Winter Soldier actor Sebastian Stan isn't so sure.

"Look, man, I think it’s great," Stan said in an interview with GQ. "Movies are for people to relate to in whatever way they want. No one here is ever going to point a finger and say what’s right and wrong. For me, it’s like, Awww. It’s cute, it’s great. If someone takes the time to think about that, that's great. I don’t think of the character that way, though. But there’s no right or wrong answer."

When asked about the matter last month, Chris Evans also seemed open to the idea, but admitted that he didn't read the material that way, either. "That wouldn't be so bad. It's just never been part of my approach to the character. My subtext didn't involve that dynamic. I think even with the first Captain America film you see how drawn he is to Peggy Carter...I thought I put all that in the final scene, but maybe I didn't. Maybe I was just gazing at Sebastian too much."

Though it's yet to be confirmed, chances are we'll be seeing Bucky next in "Black Panther," hitting theaters on February 16, 2018. As for Cap, we likely won't see him until "Avengers: Infinity War -- Part 1," in theaters May 4, 2018.

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Bonhams consigns Chris Evans’ collection for Goodwood Revival sale

Bonhams has added another set of interesting cars to its Goodwood Revival auction roster, including not only 13 cars from new Top Gear host Chris Evans’ well-known collection – but also a Porsche 908/03 Turbo sports-prototype…

The Top Gear thirteen...

We’re not too sure why Evans is relinquishing ownership of the baker’s dozen after signing a lucrative new contract with the BBC to take over Jeremy Clarkson’s role as Top Gear front man, but the interest of high-end Ferrari enthusiasts will certainly have been piqued by the announcement. Among the 13 cars he’s consigned to Bonhams’ 2015 Goodwood Revival sale are an ultra-rare, right-hand-drive 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy (estimate £2.6m–£2.9m), a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider (£2.3m–£2.6m) and a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ (£1.4m–£1.8m). Also offered will be several Jaguars, a Daimler Dart police car, and a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica.

...plus a tantalising, terrifying Porsche 908 Turbo

Recently added to the same auction is a 1970 Porsche 908/03, which had twin-turbochargers added by the factory in 1974 for the Martini-Racing programme, after its participation in the 1970 Targa Florio and Nürburgring 1,000km races with different bodywork. Driven by the likes of Jürgen Barth in this later, 660bhp blown configuration, it will carry an estimate of £2.2–£2.5m when it’s auctioned on 12 September.

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Chris Evans makes £1.3million as he puts some of his classic car collection up for auction and raises more than £50,000 for Children In Need

Chris Evans raised £1.3million auctioning classic cars at the Goodwood Revival today - but failed to sell half of his collection.

The Top Gear host entered 12 desirable models into the auction and was expecting the fleet to fetch around £8 million.

But there were no takers for the most expensive models - a Ferrari 275 GTB/C valued at £2.6 million and a £2.3 million Ferrari 365 Daytona Spyder.





Auction: Chris Evans raised £1.3million auctioning classic cars, pictured being loaded on to the Bonhams truck, at the Goodwood Revival today. But failed to sell half of his collection

He also failed to sell his famous Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica, which had an estimate of £250,000.

A Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, valued at £1.4 million, also went unsold.

The TV and radio star was selling the cars - owned by his company Zimple - at Bonhams’ annual Goodwood Revival sale.

There were plenty of potential buyers bidding on the cars, but offers weren’t quite hitting the reserve price and six of the 12 lots remained unsold.

His Ferrari 250 SWB Recreation the most expensive model to find a new home, selling for £606,000.



Petrol head: The TV and radio star was selling the cars - owned by his company Zimple - at Bonhams’ annual Goodwood Revival sale



Failed to sell: Evans' ultra-rare 275GTB/6C Ferrari in an unusual shade of mint green, which had a guide price of £2.6-£2.9 million - failed to meet its reserve



Generous: Evans managed to raise more than £50,000 for Children In Need by selling off dozens of items of cherished automobilia

The total money from the sales, which includes the buyer’s premium that goes to Bonhams and VAT that goes to the taxman, was £1,312,115.

This is well short of the £8 million minimum that was expected if all of the cars sold for their lower estimates.

However, Evans managed to raise more than £50,000 for Children In Need by selling off dozens of items of cherished automobilia.

WHICH OF HIS CLASSIC CARS SOLD AND WHICH DIDN'T?...



Sold: At the bottom end of the price scale, a diminutive Fiat 126 city car dating back to 1983, which Evans bought impulsively just months ago, sold for £12,500



Sold: The Mercedes 280SL convertible, formerly owned by Tetra Pak billionaire Hans Rausing, also sold for above its guide price at £105,000



Sold: The Top Gear host's Daimler SP250 roadster had been expected to sell for £50-60,000 - but was the subject of a competitive bidding war which pushed the price up to £72,000



Sold: His Ferrari 250 SWB Recreation the most expensive model to find a new home, selling for £606,000



Sold: The 1989 328GTS Targa, which was originally owned by former Formula One champion Nigel Mansell and sold for £115,000



Failed to sell: The ultra-rare 275GTB/6C Ferrari in an unusual shade of mint green, which had a guide price of £2.6-£2.9 million - failed to meet its reserve



Failed to sell: Evans' 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider was estimated £2,300,000- £2,600,000



Failed to sell: Evans' 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder was estimated at £1,300,000 - £1,600,000



Failed to sell: Evans’s most famous car, a replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, failed to hit its mark, reaching just £120,000 - far short of the £250-350,000 expected

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Top Gear: BBC Two boss admits she is 'terrified' about show's shake-up under Chris Evans

BBC Two controller Kim Shillinglaw says Evans is "incredibly spontaneous" and viewers would never know what would happen next

Chris Evans driving a classic Aston Martin covetable DB5 car, a day after it was announced that he will be the new presenter of Top Gear Photo: Rex

By Hannah Furness, arts correspondent, Arts correspondent

2:38PM BST 28 Aug 2015

The prospect of an unpredictable new version of Top Gear under Chris Evans is "terrifying", the head of BBC Two has admitted, saying "you don't quite know what's going to happen next".

Kim Shillinglaw, the controller of BBC Two, said there would be significant changes to the show under Evans, who takes over from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.

Among the "really interesting" changes will see Dunsfold track supersized and a changing line-up of presenters still being masterminded by Evans.

Calling him "incredibly spontaneous", she said viewers would never know what would happen next.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, Shillinglaw also spoke about the ending of Clarkson's contract, saying it was "very sad" and exposed the "human frailties" of working in television.

When asked about the new series of Top Gear under Evans, she said she is "so excited and of course terrified".

"I really can't think of a person that better combines two things I think are really central to Top Gear: one is an absolute genuine passion for cars, but also being incredibly spontaneous, incredibly surprising.

"You don't quite know what's going to happen next.

"Watching someone who has that is always fantastic telly."

She added: "It's going to be different. There will be continuity, but it will be really different.

Chris Evans will be taking over from previous Top Gear presenters, Richard Hammond Jeremy Clarkson and James May  Photo: Rex

"Dunsfold is looking quite interesting, the presenter line-up is going to be a bit different.

"So there will be some changes to the show. It's scary but it's really exciting."

When asked about Clarkson, who famously left the BBC after a "fracas" which saw him punch a producer, she said: "For me, I think it was a very sad episode in lots of ways.

"The biggest reminder is that for all this is telly, this is business, this is competitive industry, at the end of the day it's about human beings. It was just a very human situation.

"I am and always will be fond of Jeremy and James and Richard, and have great respect for their craft skills.

"I think it was just very very sad, the way in which the human frailties I think you have to, as a person, be respectful and understanding of became part of the story.

"To get to a point where it wasn't something that as the BBC was acceptable. I don't think any organisation would find it acceptable.

"And for me the biggest story is that sometimes human beings are bigger than telly."

Further announcements about the new presenting line-up, and the outcome of the thousands of fan audition tapes received from around the world, are due later this year.

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Why Superhero Movies Will Continue To Thrive, According To Chris Evans

Chris Evans doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to superhero movies. The dude walks the walk. Remember, Evans was holding down the fort as a member of The Fantastic Four before being in an FF movie was a curse and a burden. And, naturally, he has been crushing it as Captain America in a steady stream of Marvel movies. So when he weighs in on the state of the genre, and the way it can pave its future, it’s worth sitting up and paying notice.

Evans was promoting his directorial debut Before We Go, and spoke with Collider about superhero movies, in general, and how they can continue to evolve. From Evans’ standpoint, it’s really a matter of letting filmmakers find an original tone inside of a superhero movie, and figuring out the balance of larger-the-life comic-book content within the confines of the overall story. He said:

You could take any superhero movie and if you ground it enough, if you make it real enough—that’s what I think [Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo] do really well. Certain superhero movies feel like ‘superhero movies.’ Russo movies almost feel like human stories with a little bit of superhero sprinkled in. So you might get exhausted of the larger-than-life powers I suppose, but as long as the filmmakers keep on reinventing the flavor and the approach and the tone, audiences are going to still go."

A lot of the chatter leading up to the release of The Winter Soldier talked about how this was Marvel trying to do a 1970s political thriller. (Casting Robert Redford was a nice touch.) A similar discussion was had around Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man, which was viewed as Marvel’s first "heist film," with hints of superhero action sprinkled in. To that end, the new Spider-Man movie allegedly will be a John Hughes-esque coming-of-age high school comedy. So you can see how Marvel is trying to change up genres while still delivering movies that feature the heroes from their comic-book pages.

Chris Evan’s comments likely come in response to Steven Spielberg’s recent deduction that the superhero-movie craze will eventually run its course and go "the way of the Western," meaning that audiences will tire of the onslaught of comic-book properties and seek different flavors of entertainment. Evans is trying to say that the different flavors can be found IN the superhero genre, if filmmakers keep changing up their approach.

Either way, it won’t happen any time soon. We have no less than 35 superhero movies on Hollywood’s radar between now and 2020, with every major studio filling its slate with comic properties. The tide may change, in time, but Evans is correct that the genre can survive for a long, long time so long as filmmakers keep changing it up.  

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Crush of the week: Chris Evans

More than most in his shoes, Evans oozes a weary kindness, and that is my catnip’

 

It’s not an obvious movie star name, is it? For years, the most famous person to bear it was a wildly successful English TV presenter whose biggest draw was his anarchic take on Friday night telly. But this Chris Evans, one of the biggest film stars in the world, is very different, and I have the biggest crush on him.

I first saw him in Not Another Teen Movie, a 2001 parody of, you guessed it, teen movies. Then he was in 2005’s Fantastic Four, playing up his greatest gift: an affable, old-fashioned charm. Evans, 34, is from Boston, and the city’s a good metaphor for the man: solid, unflashy, still kind of earthy, despite its proximity to decadent New York. He is often compared to a puppy by admiring internet-dwellers, and you can see why: big eyes, easy smile, open warmth. He is very handsome, but not oppressively so. He’s the boy you wish had grown up next door; your best friend’s older brother, the one you reconnect and fall in love with when you’re both older and wiser.

He has spoken about anxiety issues around fame, and in that lies a vulnerability that is also the manliest thing about him: he seems morally solid but not square. More than most in his shoes, Evans oozes a weary kindness, and that is my catnip. He brings this quality to his underrated role in 2013’s Snowpiercer, but more attention-grabbing has been his portrayal of Captain America, a perfect marriage of actor and character: he’s the gentleman superhero, a man of substance built like a brickhouse. I can’t wait to see his third standalone Captain America film.

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