Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Sam Wilson / Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the fourth film in the Captain America film series, and a continuation of the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). The film is directed by Julius Onah, written by Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson and Matthew Orton, and stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America alongside Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson and Harrison Ford.
Captain America: Civil War (2016) was considered the end of the Captain America trilogy starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, with Mackie's Wilson becoming the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Spellman and Musson, respectively the head writer and a writer for the series, were writing the script for a new Captain America film by late April 2021, and Mackie had signed on to the film by that August. Onah joined the film in July 2022, when the film's initial title was revealed as Captain America: New World Order; additional cast members were revealed that September. Filming began in March 2023 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, to last until that June. In early June 2023, the film's title was changed to Captain America: Brave New World. Orton joined in December 2023 to write material for reshoots, which began at the end of May 2024.
Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 14, 2025, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.
==Synopsis==
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam Wilson finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
==Cast==
*Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America
*Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon
*Shira Haas as Ruth-Bat Seraph
*Xosha Roquemore as a to-be-named Secret Service agent
*Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley
*Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker / Sidewinder
*Liv Tyler as Betty Ross
*Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / Leader
*Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross / Red Hulk: Ford replaces William Hurt, who portrayed the character in previous MCU films until his death in March 2022.
*Takehiro Hira as Japanese Prime Minister Ozaki
*Seth Rollins as a to-be-confirmed character
*Rosa Salazar as a to-be-confirmed character
*Phuong Kubacki as a to-be-confirmed character
==Production==
===Development===
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in October 2015 that Captain America: Civil War (2016) was the conclusion of the Captain America trilogy, after Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), that starred Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. Civil War was Evans' last contracted standalone Captain America film, but he was open to extending his contract beyond Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). In January 2021, Evans was reportedly close to signing a deal to reprise the role of Steve Rogers in at least one future project. Evans' involvement was said to be similar to how fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) star Robert Downey Jr. had supporting roles as Tony Stark in other film franchises, including Civil War, after concluding the Iron Man film series. Evans soon said the report was "news to [him]".
By October 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series for Disney+ starring Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson / Falcon and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier from the MCU films. Malcolm Spellman was hired as head writer of the series, which was officially announced as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in April 2019. Before the series premiere, Mackie said there had been no discussions regarding a second season, and he was not sure when he would next appear in an MCU film due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on cinemas. Series director Kari Skogland was also unsure if there would be a second season, saying she had said what she wanted to with the first season but there were more stories and characters to explore if a second was made. Feige said there were ideas for what "another one" could be if a second season was made, but Marvel intended for the series to lead into future MCU films first like they did with fellow Disney+ series WandaVision (2021). He added that he did not want to spoil the series by confirming a second season or discussing the plans that Marvel had for the series' characters before the series was fully released. In April 2021, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier executive producer Nate Moore said the end of the series would show story elements for a potential second season, adding that the series explored "evergreen" topics that lent themselves to further exploration.
After the finale episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, "One World, One People", was released on April 23, 2021, Spellman was revealed to be developing the script for a fourth Captain America film with Dalan Musson, who wrote the episode "Truth". The film was expected to follow Wilson after the events of the series, with Evans' reported return as Rogers expected in a different project. Borys Kit and Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter noted that three people had now been Captain America in the MCU and it would be interesting to see what the film's focus was. Moore produces the film alongside Feige. Mackie was unaware of any plans for a film or second season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but was "excited to see what happens", and said that he had no words to describe the idea of being the title character in an MCU film, especially as a Black actor, other than it being "monumental". Mackie negotiated a deal to star in the film over the next few months, and signed on in August.
===Pre-production===
Mackie said the film would feature a new story and new characters rather than be a direct continuation of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Julius Onah was hired to direct in July 2022. The title was revealed to be Captain America: New World Order at the 2022 San Diego Comic Con, and the film was given a release date of May 3, 2024, making it part of Phase Five of the MCU. The subtitle, which is also the name of the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, was noted for its use in politics, professional wrestling, and various conspiracy theories along with antisemitic rhetoric, and was considered a controversial choice.
At the D23 Expo in September 2022, Danny Ramirez and Carl Lumbly were announced to be reprising their respective roles of Joaquin Torres and Isaiah Bradley from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Tim Blake Nelson was set to return as Samuel Sterns / Leader from the MCU film The Incredible Hulk (2008), and Shira Haas was revealed to be cast as the comic book character Sabra. Onah described the film as a paranoid thriller, and said filming would begin in early 2023. The announcement that Sabra, an Israeli superheroine in the comics, would be adapted for the film led to criticisms from people who believed this would lead to negative stereotypical portrayals of Palestinians and Arabs; in the comics, she is a member of the Mossad and some of the Arab characters she interacts with were perceived to be portrayed as misogynistic, antisemitic, and violent. The name "Sabra" also has different meanings to Israeli Jews and Palestinians. Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American writer and analyst, felt from the comics version that the character could not have a positive role in the film and said turning Israeli spies into heroes was "insensitive and disgraceful". In response, Marvel Studios said the film was taking a new approach to the character just as other comics characters had been re-imagined for modern audiences when brought into the MCU; in the film, the character is a former Black Widow and high-ranking U.S. government official named Ruth Bat-Seraph.
Harrison Ford was cast in October 2022 as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in this film as well as in Thunderbolts (2025). The character was portrayed in the MCU by William Hurt until his death in 2022. Moore was revealed to be producing the film alongside Feige. Pre-production work at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, began on November 7 ahead of a planned filming start in March 2023. Gersha Phillips served as the costume designer and Ramsey Avery was the production designer after previously working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). In January 2023, Xosha Roquemore was cast in an undisclosed role. Mackie expected to begin work for the film on March 1, 2023.
===Filming===
Principal photography began on March 21, 2023, at King Roof Renovations in Atlanta, Georgia under the working title Rochelle Rochelle, with Kramer Morgenthau serving as the cinematographer for the first time for an MCU film since Thor: The Dark World (2013). Filming will also occur at Trilith Studios in Atlanta. Onah wanted to include action in the film that was "grounded and tactile" and gave Wilson things to do that were not seen in his previous appearances. Liv Tyler joined the cast by the end of March 2023, reprising her role of Betty Ross from The Incredible Hulk. At that time, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was expected to reprise her MCU role as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the film. The start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in May 2023 was not expected to impact production of the film, with Marvel Studios reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during the film's already scheduled reshoots. In May, set photos revealed that Seth Rollins was a part of the cast.
In early June, it was announced that the film had been retitled to Captain America: Brave New World. Jeremy Mathai at /Film praised the subtitle change, saying it "strikes a far more optimistic perspective [than New World Order], doubling as a commentary on the future of the famous superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as a statement on some very overdue representation". The change was also called a "wise decision" by Collider's Hilary Remley, who noted that the original title could have been interpreted as having antisemitic connotations. At that time, Onah was revealed to have co-written the script with Spellman. In the middle of the month, Brave New World's release date was delayed to July 26, 2024. Filming moved to Washington, D.C., by the end of June, and filming wrapped on June 30.
===Post-production===
Brave New World had the potential by October 2023 to return to its May 2024 release date, as it was further along in production than Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which was not expected to complete filming in time for that release due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. However, this change was considered unlikely. Following the strike's conclusion in November, Brave New World's release date was delayed to February 14, 2025. Sneider reported that the film was not received well in an early test screening, that three major sequences were being cut, and that Marvel Studios was planning to undergo extensive reshoots from January 2024 until that May or June. In December, Matthew Orton was hired to write additional material for the reshoots, which were then scheduled to last from February to May 2024. Orton previously worked as a writer and consulting producer on the Marvel Studios miniseries Moon Knight (2022). Rosa Salazar was revealed to have been cast in the film. By the end of January 2024, the reshoots were set to occur from May to August 2024.
In February 2024, Mark Ruffalo stated that he was reprising his MCU role as Bruce Banner / Hulk in the film. However, Variety soon reported that Ruffalo had misspoken and was not appearing in the film. The report noted that there had been ongoing speculation about Ruffalo's potential role in the film due to the number of characters from The Incredible Hulk already confirmed to be appearing, as well as rumors that Ford's Thaddeus Ross would be transforming into the Red Hulk in the film. In April, Feige and Mackie described the film as a "grounded action thriller" with no aliens, more similar in tone to Captain America: The Winter Soldier than some recent MCU films. Mackie added that viewers did not need to have seen The Incredible Hulk to watch the film, saying Brave New World was a "reset" of the MCU that establishes new themes and antagonists for the universe moving forward. The next month, Giancarlo Esposito revealed that he had been cast in an MCU role and would be appearing "sooner rather than later", with his character being teased in a film before a bigger role in an MCU television series. He was confirmed to be appearing in Brave New World at the end of the month as part of the reshoots, which began at that time in Atlanta and were scheduled to last for 22 days. These were expected to be less extensive than the reshoots for Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and The Marvels (2023), focusing in part on new action sequences and the integration of Esposito. Brave New World was also expected to be much less expensive than The Marvels overall, which topped out at a gross budget of nearly $275 million. Esposito's role was believed to be G. W. Bridge, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the comics. The film's teaser trailer released in July confirmed that the Red Hulk would appear, and that Tiamut, a Celestial whose birth on Earth was prevented by the Eternals in Eternals (2021), would be part of the film. Matthew Schmidt serves as the editor, after previously working on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
==Marketing==
Feige and Mackie revealed the first footage from the film at CinemaCon in April 2024. The following month, McDonald's began selling Happy Meals with toys based on characters from the film, including Red Hulk and Diamondback. Stephanie Kaloi at TheWrap noted that the appearance of these characters in the film had not been confirmed by Marvel at that time and the early reveal was likely due to the film's release being delayed but the marketing partnership with McDonald's not being pushed back to match. More footage was shown at CineEurope in June. A teaser trailer released on July 12, 2024, drew comparisons to Captain America: The Winter Soldier with its tone. The appearance of Red Hulk in the trailer was wildly discussed, particularly the ambiguity of who would become the character, with Adam Chitwood at TheWrap questioning if the heavily rumored fact that it was "obvious[ly]" Thaddeus Ross would be a red herring. The Verge's Charles Pulliam-Moore believed the film would continue the "new normal" established in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but wondered if the film being a continuation of that series would be "a bit much to ask [for] audiences" to follow. Conversely, Sandy Schaefer and Chris Evangelista from /Film did not believe the film would rely much on the series in order to have its widest audience appeal. They called the trailer "pretty good", factoring in the knowledge that the film had recently completed their reshoots, noting that it largely contained action moments rather than plot details. Commentators also noted the reveal that the remains of Tiamut would be featured in the film, after the Emergence had largely been ignored within the MCU in the projects released since Eternals. Michael McWhertor at Polygon explained that the trailer shows the United States and other countries, such as Japan, meeting at a Global Unity Summit to discuss the Celestial's body. The summit uses a logo that is a stylized version of Tiamut's hand.
Feige and members of the cast promoted the film at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, where more footage from the film was shown, Esposito's role was announced, and Ford was confirmed to also be Red Hulk.
==Release==
Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 14, 2025. It was previously scheduled for May 3 and July 26, 2024. It will be the final film of Phase Five of the MCU.
==Images==
Captain America New World Order Logo.png|Original logo with the film's initial title
==Videos==
Captain America- Brave New World - Official Teaser - In Theaters February 14, 2025
Category:Upcoming films
Category:2025 films
Category:English-language films
Category:American films
Category:Superhero films
Category:Upcoming English-language films
Category:American superhero films
Category:Marvel films
Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe films
Category:Action films
Category:2025 action films
Category:Films starring Anthony Mackie
Category:Films starring Danny Ramirez
Category:Films starring Tim Blake Nelson
Category:Films starring Carl Lumbly
Category:Films starring Shira Haas
Category:Films starring Xosha Roquemore
Category:Films starring Giancarlo Esposito
Category:Films starring Harrison Ford
Category:Films starring Liv Tyler
Category:Films starring Seth Rollins
Category:Films starring Rosa Salazar