Anthony Mackie has closed a deal with Marvel Studios to star in the fourth installment of Captain America, according to Deadline’s sources. The upcoming feature will mark the seventh time that the actor has played Samuel Thomas “Sam” Wilson (aka The Falcon) in a Marvel film, having originally donned his wings in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Marvel’s decision to bring Mackie back as Captain America isn’t too surprising, as the actor officially adopted the mantle of the iconic superhero in the finale of the recent Disney+ limited series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He was also the one to receive the iconic star-spangled shield from the original Captain America himself, Steve Rogers, at the end of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that a fourth Captain America film was in the works back in April. At the time, all that was known was that it was being written by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. Spellman is The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s head writer and creator, while Musson served as one of the show’s staff writers.
It isn’t clear whether Sebastian Stan’s James “Bucky” Barnes (aka The Winter Soldier) will appear in the film, but one thing that seems certain is that Chris Evans won’t be back—or, at least, not for Captain America 4. One of Deadline’s sources claims that Evans will in fact return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as rumors have suggested, but his appearance is being reserved for a “top-secret project.”
The unofficial title indicates this is Mackie’s vehicle, and it’s an exceptional career moment for the Juilliard-educated actor who has been a bright spot in every film he’s appeared in. That includes the Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, 8 Mile and The Banker, to his turns as Falcon, the wingman of Captain America, who was handpicked by that superhero to succeed him.
Source: Deadline