Joe Johnston‘s upcoming Marvel Studios film, Captain America: The First Avenger will begin filming in London on June 28th. The LA Times is reporting that while the film was originally planned for an LA shoot, London was the wiser choice as much of the story is focused in Europe.

“The upcoming movie from Marvel Studios was originally to be filmed in Los Angeles. Instead, Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and Hugo Weaving, will shoot this July in London, where the story is partially set.”

“When Marvel, which is based at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, launched its studio in 2007, executives said they planned to film their first four projects in Los Angeles. The studio has largely delivered on that pledge. The hit film Iron Man and its sequel Iron Man 2, currently in theaters, were shot in state, featuring locations including the Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierra, Edwards Air Force Base and the Sepulveda Dam.”

“But the studio, which was acquired by Walt Disney Co. last year, concluded that London was the best location for Captain America: The First Avenger, largely because the story is set in Europe and will feature a number of scenes in London such as Piccadilly Circus, and also because of favorable tax incentives.

Though Marvel could have done the stage work in L.A. and shot exteriors in London, it wasn’t economically feasible to split the production between two locations, given the heavy filming required in Europe, said Marvel Studios co-President Louis D’Esposito, who oversees physical production.”

[Source] LATimes