Here’s your WTF story of the week: Robert Redford may be starring in a Marvel movie.  Reports have surfaced that Redford is in talks to join the cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a “senior leadership role in S.H.I.E.L.D.”  This is a major get for Marvel, as Redford has relegated himself to acting solely in smaller indie fare or his own directorial projects for the past few years, with his last starring role in a “Hollywood” film that he didn’t direct being Tony Scott’s 2001 thriller Spy Game.  Given that Kevin Feige recently described The Winter Soldier as a “political thriller,” Redford should fit right in with the S.H.I.E.L.D. crew. Hit the jump for more, including the possibility of Redford popping up in other Marvel movies.

As S.H.I.E.L.D. has a presence in nearly all of Marvel’s films, Deadline notes that Redford is also likely to pop up in films other than The Winter Soldier.  My initial thinking is that this might be laying the groundwork for Redford’s S.H.I.E.L.D. character to have a significant role in The Avengers 2, but that’s purely conjecture on my part.  It’s no secret that Marvel likes to lock down their actors into multi-film contracts, but one assumes a deal with the Robert Redford is a tad different.  It would be kind of great to see the “Sundance Kid” pop up in Guardians of the Galaxy, though.

Production on The Winter Soldier is expected to get underway imminently, with Chris Evans returning as the titular Cap flanked by newcomers Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Frank Grillo (The Grey) as Crossbones, and Emily VanCamp (Revenge) as the film’s female lead.  Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo will direct, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in 3D on April 4, 2014.

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