CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Co-Director Says Film is "Darker, Edgier"

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, based on the Marvel Comics story arc written by Ed Brubaker, will hit theaters in 2014 after the release of Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier will be released in theaters on April 4th, 2014. Screenwriters Chris Markus and Stephen McFeely have been tapped to pen the sequel's script while Anthony and Joe Russo will direct. The film will pick-up where Marvel’s The Avengers leaves off, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world. The title is in reference to Captain America's WWII partner, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who was believed to be killed during the course of the first film. Anthony Mackie will also star, playing the role of Captain America's modern-day sidekick Falcon.

Recently, co-Director Anthony Russo -- who confirmed that production will start early next year -- was asked to comment on what drew him to the film, as well as how he feels about it's complicated storyline:

"I can’t talk too much about specifics, that’s the way Marvel handles things. I can say in general that there’s sort of a darker, edgier sensibility at work there that we found appealing, and that is going find its way into Captain America in the modern day... [These films] are sort of rooted in what’s come before, but they’re all also their own jumping-off point as well. We’re making the movie for first-time viewers, not just for fans, so, because Cap does have this complicated history — he was this skinny guy who became a super-soldier, he was born back then and he’s living [now] – in the storytelling, you need to convey that to an audience who doesn’t know Cap’s story.

"We're trying to grow him as a character, and certainly he's come a long way, from where he started in pre-World War 2 to where he is in modern-day America. So the character has room for growth because of that huge journey that he's been on, Number 1. Number 2, part of the appeal of these movies is the ensemble. Captain America isn't the only character in the film, there are other characters that are perhaps lighter in nature."