LOS ANGELES: Robert Redford will appear in the next “Captain America” blockbuster, and the Hollywood legend and independent movie guru insists he is not selling out.

The 76-year-old Redford will play a senior leader in the secret government agency of S.H.I.E.L.D in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” scheduled for release next year, according to the LA Times.

“I told you, there's no money in those films,” Redford joked when asked about the new role at an independent film event in Los Angeles this week.

More seriously, Redford, who made his name in movies like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and “The Sting” (1973), added: “I'm doing this film because it's different. It's a new thing for me.

“And I like the idea of stepping into new territory ... I'm excited by it. I also think it's a good bunch of people who really know what they're doing,” he added at an LA Times Indie Focus series screening.

The new film, a sequel to 2011's “Captain America: The First Avenger”, will again star Chris Evans in the title role, along with Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow.

Redford, co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival, America's biggest independent movie showcase held in the snowy Utah mountains every January, won a best director Oscar for 1980's “Ordinary People.”

His movies tend to be critical successes rather than commercial blockbusters. But Redford defended his decision to join the “Captain America” franchise, saying: “I think these films are really powerful.

“This is the kind of film I'd love to have seen as a kid,” he added.