Hugo Weaving confirmed as Red Skull

After months of speculation and half-confirmed reports, Hugo Weaving has finally been announced as the villain in First Avenger: Captain America .

As expected, he will play evil Nazi Red Skull, who uses the Dust of Death to kill his victims – leaving them with a parched red skull. All while whistling Chopin’s funeral march. (Awesome.)

According to the official press release, the character “will be updated for the feature adaptation”, which basically means he’ll probably get a bit of a feature film make-over.

Captain America will be an origins story of sorts, focussing on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers is turned into a Super Soldier after participating in an experimental program.

Our two cents? Weaving is an excellent addition to the cast – we’d even go so far as to liken him to Ian McKellen as Magneto in the X-Men film franchise.

And having beefed up everything from the Matrix flicks and the Lord Of The Rings to this year’s otherwise disappointing Wolfman with his throaty drawl, we’re certain Weaving will bring just the right amount of creepiness and gravitas to the roll of Red Skull.

First Avenger: Captain America hits US screens on 22 July, 2011.

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