Anthony Mackie's Captain America 4 Just Took A Huge Step Forward

Sam Wilson as Captain America
(Image credit: Disney+)

Some Marvel fans have been wondering what the latest news would be on Sam Wilson’s stint as Captain America. While Wilson (Anthony Mackie) took up the mantle at the conclusion of the Marvel Studios Disney+ program The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, no concrete plans had been revealed regarding the next time we would see the new Cap. A fourth Captain America film was discussed, but now it appears to be shifting into a higher gear because Julius Onah has landed the gig of helming Captain America 4 for Marvel.

Julius Onah is a newcomer to the Marvel universe, but previously helmed The Cloverfield Paradox, and so has experience with bigger ticket storytelling. The news of his hiring was reported in The Hollywood Reporter, which adds that Malcolm Spellman, who wrote for the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, will co-write the Captain America 4 script with Dalan Musson, another writer from the show.

It is noted in the report that it’s unclear whether or not Chris Evans will reprise his role of Steve Rogers in the movie, though recently, while on the press tour for Lightyear, Evans made it crystal clear that it would take something truly special to lure him back to the role, because he’s incredibly happy with the way the role played out. Why would he jeopardize it by going back for a fourth Captain America movie? 

In addition, any return by Chris Evans would completely overshadow what this movie is supposed to be focused on, and that’s Anthony Mackie getting the opportunity to take the wings and shield out for a spin. The reveal of Sam Wilson in his updated Captain America suit at the conclusion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was such an impressive moment, but Marvel movies hit differently than the weekly TV shows, and as cool as these action sequences are, I really want to see him getting his due in a feature-length film.

Now we move on to all of the questions we have about Captain America 4. The THR story says that no start date on the production has been announced, though we have been tracking all of the upcoming Marvel movies, and there are a number of them that we know are heading our way, and Captain America 4 wasn’t at the top of the list until now. We kind of figured we would hear some details about the planned Blade movie beyond the information we’ve already heard, or maybe some confirmation regarding The Fantastic Four casting, and maybe a director. There’s also a return trip to Wakanda planned for later this year.

Before all of that, however, Thor demands our attention. Thor: Love and Thunder already is off to a great start at the global box office, and we expect to track its success all weekend long… even if the reviews are a bit divisive. Either way, things are very busy at Marvel Studios, and will stay that way for a long time.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.