Marvel Studios and Anthony Mackie have reached an agreement for the star to pick up the shield once again in Captain America 4.
According to Deadline, it is not yet clear if Sebastian Stan, Mackie's co-star in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series, will reprise his role as Bucky Barnes in the fourth Captain America film. Along with starring in five films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame), Mackie and Stan's Falcon and Winter Soldier became the second MCU series to debut on Disney+, following WandaVision.
Malcolm Spellman, the creator and head writer of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is returning to pen the script for Captain America 4. The streaming series followed Sam Wilson as he wrestled with taking up the mantle of Captain America after the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. The blockbuster film ended with Old Man Steve Rogers passing his red-white-and-blue shield to his best friend and officially retiring. The first episode saw Wilson relinquish the shield to the Smithsonian, only for the government to turn around and hand it to its own handpicked Captain America, John Walker.
The threat of new super-soldiers, along with feeling inadequate to Falcon and Winter Soldier, led Walker to take a dose of super-soldier serum. Unfortunately, he couldn't control his rage and killed a freedom fighter on live TV, forcing Falcon and Winter Soldier to take back the shield. The final episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier debuted Sam Wilson's Captain America costume, with Marvel officially announcing Captain America 4 hours after the finale. John Walker also took on his comic book role as US Agent.
In May, Captain America 4's Anthony Mackie revealed he's already starting to get back into shape to portray his version of the star-spangled hero. Mackie said his workout involves a four-month regimen. "You take the four months," he said. "Like right now, I am at the end of the first month of the four-month process to get back away from fat Mackie to movie Mackie."
"There's no muscle suit under my suit," Mackie added. "That's my pride, ever since... seven movies in I'm like 'I don't want a muscle suit under my suit.'"
As for how long Mackie plans on being the MCU's new Captain America, the star said he does have a time frame in mind. "I definitely don't want to be a 55 year old Captain America, so I've got a solid six to eight [years] in me," he said.
Source: Deadline