Jon Hamm Versus Will Smith

Welcome to “Jon Hamm Versus,” where we will take a look at possible contenders for the lead role of Steve Rogers/Captain America in the upcoming film “The First Avenger: Captain America,” slated for release on July 22, 2011. Next up, we look at the powerhouse blockbuster-making man-of-the-year Hollywood VIP movie star Mr. July, Will Smith.

Will Smith’s name has easily been tossed around for the role of Captain America/Steve Rogers since about 1996. And it’s pretty safe to say just about every Hollywood studio has put the Fresh Prince’s name at the top of their casting list for nearly every greenlit script since then. It’s just like when you’re a kid and you put “President of the United States” at the top of your fantasy list of jobs you would like to hold. And like the problems most studios face, odds are if you don’t have enough cash you’re not going to get the top job.

The benefit to Will Smith is that he has the A-List clout to do basically any movie he wants at any time. If you look at his IMDB page, there isn’t one completed project in there that you haven’t heard of. Meanwhile Samuel L. Jackson has six times the credits and his Q rating is probably has a two-digit percentage disadvantage to Smith’s.

So could Will Smith make Captain America? Sure, if he wanted to. But as past evidence shows us, it’s basically a heavily passed around rumor. He’s already had modest success as Hancock, which should also have a sequel in the next few years. Plus, Smith likely doesn’t want to get tied down to a specific character in a franchise. Would the “true fans” accept a black Steve Rogers? I think so. There would be some unrest until the movie actually came out, like how goofballs complained that the heroes in the first X-Men movie weren’t going to wear their ‘traditional’ costumes. But then the movie came out and the change worked and no one gave a crap that Wolverine didn’t go around killing dudes while adorned in a yellow Spandex costume. Comic book purists (read: white folks) would accept Will Smith eventually, but I will concede that he’s likely the only black man they could see in the role. Sorry, Omar Epps.

Anyway. Like Brad Pitt, Will Smith commands top dollars and does not put him as the favorable candidate in this battle. Meantime, Jon Hamm merely has a Golden Globe and a SAG award, and still only nets about 3 millions viewers a week for “Mad Men.” The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” easily had 20 million viewers a week for five seasons. Like Brad Pitt, Will Smith is the height of his career and has many years of success still to come. Jon Hamm is on an upward trajectory, already with drama and comedy under his belt. Hollywood action star is the only thing missing from his résumé.

Jon Hamm wins!