I’m as guilty as the next blogger of occasionally misinterpreting a quote or unintentionally taking one out of context. But this may take the cake.
Yesterday I linked to a brief interview with Stan Lee in which the comics legend was asked about the now-debunked rumor that Will Smith had been offered the role of Captain America in the upcoming Marvel Studios movie. Here’s the entire exchange, as published, just to make sure we’re all on the same page:
5. There was a rumor going around that Will Smith would be cast as Captain America. Any truth to that?
I would love us to do something with Will Smith, but I don’t know that he’s Captain America. That would be a long shot. It would be a real leap to make Captain America black … then again, I don’t know. It might be a really smart thing. If Barack Obama becomes President who knows … suddenly a lot of our characters will be black!
I thought the last sentence was a bit kooky, but otherwise, not much to report, right? Wrong.
“Stan Lee Wants To Make Will Smith A Black Captain America,” states the headline on Contactmusic.com:
Matthew MCConaughey’s name has been linked with the role — but Lee hints it could go to Smith, if Obama becomes the first black president.
McConaughey won’t be Captain America either, but that’s neither here nor there. The real story, obviously, is that anyone who wants to see Smith as the Sentinel of Liberty should vote for Barack Obama!
In a game of Telephone, Asian News International then uses Contactmusic.com as its source for a piece headlined, “Stan Lee wants to make Will Smith ‘Captain America’ — if Barack Obama wins.” All right, that’s not so much a headline as a paragraph.
Digital Spy joins the fray, tosses Leonardo DiCaprio’s name back into the mix, but fails to mention at least one key point: Smith himself has said he’s not interested in playing Captain America. Okay, two key points: that by disassembling Lee’s comment, they’re changing his meaning entirely.
Wait, make that three. In his answer to an earlier question, Lee acknowledges that Marvel Studios executives “don’t keep me in the loop” about casting.
This is going to be that Julie Newmar-Angelina Jolie thing all over again, isn’t it?
September 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Are you saying that if Sarah Palin becomes president, Julie Newmar will play Captain America?
September 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am
No… If Palin ever becomes president (and if McCain should win, he’d better watch his aging back) superhero comics and comic book movies will be outlawed and replaced with Biblical tales that everyone will be required to read. Anyone choosing not to read them, or worse still caught with superhero comics, will be branded as a practitioner of witchcraft. You don’t want to know what will happen next.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Shaun said: “If Palin ever becomes president (and if McCain should win, he’d better watch his aging back) superhero comics and comic book movies will be outlawed and replaced with Biblical tales that everyone will be required to read. Anyone choosing not to read them, or worse still caught with superhero comics, will be branded as a practitioner of witchcraft.”
That is as ridiculous as saying, “If Obama becomes president, all the white people’s money and assets will be given to black muslims as reparrations for slavery”.
Grow up and stop fanning the flames of hatred with your ignorance.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
At this point I probably won’t be happy unless will smith plays captain america.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
“Grow up and stop fanning the flames of hatred with your ignorance.”
Wasn’t it obvious that he was joking? Anyway…
Been funny watching this bogus Stan Lee story circulate online. It was all over Google News earlier today, despite the fact it was nonsense and just Stan blabbing. The man does cameos, not casting.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Well, if they did a movie version of ‘Truth’, Will Smith would be a decent choice for the CA role…
September 27th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Rich said: “Wasn’t it obvious that he was joking?”
Actually, no. It is not obvious to me. The tone of the post led me to believe he was serious. Scary serious. I watch it on the news and the comedy shows that some actually take as news. The kind of crap you hear out of the mouth of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann.
Maybe you can help me out, since it appears obvious to you that Shaun was joking. Tell me Rich, what was it in Shaun’s post that leads you to believe that he was joking?
Actually, I wish Shaun would stand behind his statement as what he believes or say it was a joke.
There are too many lies flying fast and furious from the left and the right. This U.S. election is too important for people to be telling lies and half-truths. Well, important to me and my family, that is.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I am still holding out hope that DJ Jazzy Jeff will be playing the role of Bucky.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Douglas, it was obvious to me that Shaun was joking.
The easiest way to address fears is to exaggerate them and poke fun at them.
Shaun may fear, as many do, that the conservatives are going to transform the country into Merrie-Olde-England-of-the-1700s, where you HAD to be of one faith or face being ostracized. It may be a big fear; it may be a minor fear; it may even be an irrational fear. But it is a fear, and the best way to strangle that fear is to make it large enough so as to wrap your two hands about its neck.
Well done, Shaun.
September 28th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Is stan lee fliping me off?
September 28th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Douglas:
First, Shaun was joking. It’s called sarcasm. If you can’t get that, then I think you need some time in this little place we call reality.
Second, your reaction tells me you are a Palin/McCain fan (and yes, I put her first, because right now she IS the ticket). By overacting to the humor of Shaun’s post, you perpetuate the stereotype of knee-jerk if-you-make-fun-of-the-Republican-Party-you-hate-America-you-communist-hippie-community-organizing-gay-loving-devil-worshiping-liberal reactionary.
Third, Palin has BEEN ON THE RECORD as wanting to ban certain books, as well as charging rape victims for rape kits, wanting to outlaw abortion even in the case of rape or incest (because God WANTED you to get raped and have a baby?!?), having a husband who belongs to a separatist group, and attending a church whose pastor taught the parishioners Alaska would be the sanctuary for God’s people once the apocalypse began. Those are not a half truths. Those are stone cold facts that any educated voter could find with 10 minutes and a computer. So, joking that she would make modern comics illegal and force her religion on the populace is not that far fetched.
Look, man, you want to root for Palin, be my guest. It’s your choice, just be sure you make an educated decision. Part one of making an educated decision is knowing that McCain is 72 years old and that he’s had 4 bouts of cancer. Is Palin REALLY the person you want holding the nuclear football when McCain cacks a few months into his presidency? When Republican mastermind Karl effing Rove, the Turd Blossom himself (minus the blossom, if you ask me), rips the pick of an inexperienced mayor turned governor as an “insult” to the American voter, I think the choice is clear.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Seriously… cut the political crap. None of the two party candidates deserve to hold the nuke football! Americans really have to wisen up and realize that we are being duped by a corrupt system that is trying to foster illogical hatred within the hearts and souls of every American based on the dogmatic ideologies of two politics based cult-like organizations.