Celebrity Update Hugo Weaving as confirmed by Marvel Studios announces today that Australian star Hugo Weaving will be playing the nefarious Nazi The Red Skull in Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Weaving and Johnston most recently worked together on Universal’s remake of The Wolfman.

Captain America: The First Avenger will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe, where Steve Rogers volunteers for an experimental program that transforms him into the super soldier Captain America, in order to combat the Nazi threat during World War II. At the same time in the MU, Johann Schmidt was drafted into service by Hitler’s Third Reich and renamed “The Red Skull”, who promptly became Captain America’s nemesis.

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Louis D’Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Celebrity Update Hugo Weaving is in talks right now to play the villain Red Skull in Marvel Studios’ The First Avenger: Captain America. According to the Heat Vision Blog, Weaving will be Rogers’ archenemy, saboteur and spy who worked as Hitler’s right-hand man. If the script is keeping to the Skull’s story, it’s likely he’ll battle the Cap during World War Two and may also end up in modern times thanks to his own stint in suspended animation.

The report says it’s not a locked deal yet, but it’s close and we’d imagine Johnson would be eager to work with Weaving again after the actor was one of the best things about The Wolfman.