Anthony Mackie will officially suit up in Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Captain America 4” movie, co-written by “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” head writer Malcolm Spellman.
Mackie first appeared as Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon) in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and reprised the role in five subsequent movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers passed on Captain America’s shield at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” Wilson officially assumed the mantle over the course of the Disney Plus series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
In April, Variety reported that a fourth “Captain America” movie was in development, with Spellman handling the script alongside “FAWS” staff writer Dalan Musson. No director is yet attached.
No further casting has been set, either, though with Mackie officially involved, several other actors from “FAWS” could be at play for the movie, first among them his co-star Sebastian Stan. Other possibilities include Wyatt Russell, whose character John Walker temporarily held the Captain America shield before revealing himself to be unworthy of it, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays possible villain Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who recruited Walker in “FAWS” and also made a brief appearance in a post-credits scene for “Black Widow.”
Given Marvel’s crowded feature slate, “Captain America 4,” which technically hasn’t been officially announced, almost certainly couldn’t premiere until 2023, at the earliest. This year, Marvel has “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Eternals” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (a co-production with Sony Pictures). In 2022, Marvel has “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and the “Captain Marvel” sequel “The Marvels.”
Deadline was first to report news that Mackie’s deal for “Captain America 4” had closed.
Marvel Studios declined to comment.