Director Joe Johnston is busy promoting his new film The Wolfman but he has also been dropping a lot of hints about his upcoming adaptation of the iconic Marvel Comics super-hero, Captain America, in The First Avenger: Captain America. Yesterday we brought you the news that Moviehole was reporting that Chuck star Ryan McPartlin had auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers in The First Avenger: Captain America and today ShockTillYouDrop is stating that the film's director Joe Johnston has confirmed that the character's archenemy the Red Skull will be the film's villain.

The director went on to talk about the project and why they've chosen to set a majority of the film during WWII. "Virtually the entire story except the bookends are in World War II because we all recognize we have one chance to tell the origin story of how he became Captain America, you can't tell a modern story and then go back and tell the origin story. If you're going to do it, let's do it. Let's do it first. Everyone wanted to tell an origin story. There was a version where it was a modern story and it didn't work."

The Los Angeles Times also had an opportunity to speak with Johnston about the upcoming film and the director spoke in detail about the character's look and uniform. "The costume is a flag, but the way we're getting around that is we have Steve Rogers forced into the USO circuit," Johnston said. "After he's made into this super-soldier, they decide they can't send him into combat and risk him getting killed. He's the only one and they can't make more. So they say, 'You're going to be in this USO show' and they give him a flag suit. He can't wait to get out of it."

"When he does go AWOL, he covers up the suit but then, after a few things happen, he realizes that this uniform allows him to lead. By then, he's become a star in the public mind and a symbol. The guys get behind him because he embodies something special," continued Johnston. "In the first USO sequences, the frustrated patriot will be wearing a version that is closer to the classic Jack Kirby-designed costume, but then later as the super-soldier hits the war zone he will be wearing a sturdier, more muted version that he makes himself that is more like battle togs. The stripes across his mid-section, for instance, will be straps, not colored fabric," the director revealed.

We will have more details about the film and casting, which Johnston says he hopes to have locked by the end of the month, as they occur and The First Avenger: Captain America is scheduled for release on July 22nd, 2011.