I have an exclusive announcement: I am under consideration for the lead role in The First Avenger: Captain America.  Well okay, not yet exactly.  But once they cycle through every young white male in Hollywood, they’ll get to my alliterative name.

The tale of super soldier Steve Rogers is one of the hottest untapped superhero properties on the market, so this is obviously a huge role for whoever lands it, but it’s getting difficult to keep track of all the contenders.  The first we heard, John Krasinski, Michael Cassidy, Patrick Flueger, Scott Porter, Mike Vogel, Chace Crawford, Garrett Hedlund, and Jensen Ackles were all on the shortlist.  After a short-lived rumor that Krasinski was a lock came word that he was anything but; in fact, Tron: Legacy star Hedlund and Vogel (Cloverfield) made it to the top of the initial heap, now joined by Fantastic Four‘s Chris Evans.  To add to the confusion, Hitfix has another name for us that teases great things: Ryan Phillippe.  Details on what Marvel is trying to tell us after the jump.

The synopsis for The First Avenger: Captain America might have been released thanks to a casting announcement on featurecasting.com.  Also, thanks to the same release, it’s looking like filming is set to begin on June 28, 2010.  With a release date of July 22, 2011, and the fact that director Joe Johnston recently told me he’s busy in pre-production, the filming date sounds pretty accurate.

If you’re interested in reading the synopsis, hit the jump:

UPDATE: Marvel has contacted us to let us know the synopsis is not accurate.

John Krasinski, Scott Porter, Garrett Hedlund, Jensen Ackles, Chace Crawford, Michael Cassidy, and Mike Vogel are all on the short-list for The First Avenger: Captain America.  According to THR, the seven actors have screen-tested for the role or are expected to test screen over the next two weeks.  In a recent interview, director Joe Johnston (The Wolfman), says he expects to have the role of the Marvel superhero cast by March 1st.

Krasinski is the best known of the bunch because of The Office and co-starring last year in wide release movies like Away We Go and It’s Complicated.  As for the six others, you have Michael Cassidy who screen-tested for the Superman movie when McG was set to direct, Patrick Flueger of The 4400 and a supporting role in Brothers), Scott Porter of Friday Night Lights (the TV series) and Speed Racer, and Mike Vogel who starred in Cloverfield.  And then you have Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) who’s in talks to screen test. Garrett Hedlund (Eragon, the upcoming Tron Legacy) and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) both are under consideration but are currently out of the running due to scheduling conflicts (word to Ackles: leave Supernatural behind and go for this role).

Captain America is the final piece in creating the Marvel’s superhero team-up of The Avengers with Iron Man/Tony Scott (Robert Downey Jr.) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) already in play.  Hit the jump for my thoughts on the potential Captains, details for those unfamiliar with the character, and what we know about the upcoming movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters on July 22, 2011.