The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively revealed that Captain America 4 – which will see Anthony Mackie pick up the shield from Chris Evans – has found a director. Julius Onah – who directed a ‘surprise’ Cloverfield movie in 2018. The writer of The Falcon & the Winter Soldier Marvel Disney Plus series, Malcolm Spellman, is penning the script.
The Falcon & the Winter Soldier series saw Sam Wilson (Mackie) grappling with the weight of responsibility of inheriting the shield from Cap, supported by his friend Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier). Wyatt Russell played a ‘Homelander’ version of Captain America – who had a public face, but also a more violent side. Wilson was mentored by Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) who advised him on his struggles with being adorned by the American flag as a Black man.
Onah also wrote and directed Luce (2019) which starred Kelvin Harrison Jr as a teenage refugee from Eritrea adopted by a wealthy white American couple (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth). Having the script written by Spellman, and directed by Onah is perhaps an indication that the movie will continue the conversation about race started in the Disney Plus show.
Onah’s 2018 movie The Cloverfield Paradox is remembered more for the way it was marketed than for the movie itself. Almost nothing was known about the movie, which became tied to 2008’s Cloverfield during filming. A surprise trailer aired during Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018, advertising the film’s final title and its release on Netflix. The release occurred immediately after the game.
It is not yet known when Captain America 4 will start production or be released. It could potentially kick-start Marvel’s Phase 5, or form the centre-piece to whatever Feige is planning for that stage. Marvel’s Phase 4 is currently receiving criticism for being unfocused and it not being clear where or what it is leading to.
Check out our guide to the best MCU characters.