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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 fourth installment in the Captain America film series, a continuation of the television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), and the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Julius Onah, who co-wrote the script with Peter Glanz along with Matthew Orton. It stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America alongside Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. In the film, Wilson finds himself at the center of an international incident.
| Captain America: Brave New World | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Julius Onah |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kramer Morgenthau |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Laura Karpman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Captain America: Civil War (2016) ended the Captain America trilogy starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. Mackie's Wilson became the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and a new Captain America film was being written by series writers Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson by April 2021. Mackie signed on that August, Onah joined in July 2022, and the title was revealed to be Captain America: New World Order later that month. Additional cast members joined later in 2022. Tyler and Nelson returned from the second MCU film, The Incredible Hulk (2008), while Ford replaced William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross following Hurt's death. Ross becomes the president of the United States and the superpowered Red Hulk in the film. Filming took place from March to June 2023 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional filming in Washington, D.C. The subtitle was changed to Brave New World during filming. Orton joined in December 2023 to write material for reshoots, which began in May 2024 and continued through November.
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.
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Following the election of Thaddeus Ross as the president of the United States, Sam Wilson finds himself at the center of an international incident and must work to stop the true masterminds behind it.[1]
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- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America:
An Avenger and former pararescueman who was trained by the military in aerial combat using a specially-designed wing pack.[2] Producer Nate Moore said Wilson's Captain America was an underdog similar to Rocky Balboa from the Rocky film series, because he did not have the abilities or allies of the previous Captain America, Steve Rogers. He has to earn the mantle after claiming it without support.[3] Director Julius Onah said the film would show Wilson "stepping up to be the leader as Captain America".[4] Mackie said Wilson would not be a judgmental Captain America and had a different understanding of good and bad.[5] He likened his performance to the Tupac Shakur song "Hit 'Em Up" (1996).[6] Since Wilson is not a super soldier, he utilizes Captain America's shield and his wing suit—both made from the fictional metal vibranium—to "level the playing field" in fights.[7] - Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon:
A first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force who takes on Wilson's former mantle of Falcon.[8][9] Mackie said Wilson and Torres have an equal friendship, compared to Wilson's admiration of Rogers and dislike of Bucky Barnes in previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects.[10] Mackie gave Ramirez advice on wearing the Falcon costume.[11] - Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph: An Israeli former Black Widow and high-ranking U.S. government official who is a close ally of President Thaddeus Ross[12][13]
- Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley:
An African-American Korean War veteran and super soldier who was imprisoned and experimented on for 30 years.[8] He becomes controlled when triggered by certain music.[10] - Xosha Roquemore as a Secret Service agent[14][15]
- Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson[16][better source needed]
- Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker / Sidewinder:
A scientist who is the leader of the Serpent Society.[17][18] Esposito described Voelker as an intelligent "badass". He said the physicality of the role differentiated Voelker from his Breaking Bad character Gus Fring, who is also an intelligent antagonist.[18] - Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / Leader:
A cellular biologist who was accidentally cross-contaminated with the blood of Bruce Banner / Hulk during the events of the film The Incredible Hulk (2008), gaining superhuman intelligence.[8][19] The character's inclusion was one of the reasons Onah was interested in the film, feeling that someone who operates from intellect would be a good adversary for Wilson.[19] Nelson was satisfied with what the writers conceived for what Sterns had been doing since The Incredible Hulk.[20] He said portraying Sterns's pathos and rage required him to "grow up" as an actor.[21] The Leader has a more comic-accurate look in the film compared to his introduction in The Incredible Hulk,[22] which was achieved largely through practical effects. Nelson had requested this and was excited to have the character's "deformation" visible on set for himself and the other actors to experience.[21] - Harrison Ford as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross / Red Hulk:
The newly-elected president of the United States who wants to work with Captain America.[1][10][23] Ross, who was previously a U.S. Army general and then the U.S. Secretary of State in the MCU,[24][25] transforms into Red Hulk in the film;[26] Ford portrays Red Hulk through motion capture.[27] Moore said there would be "natural sparks" between Wilson and Ross due to the events of the film Captain America: Civil War (2016),[28] but producer Kevin Feige said their dynamic is changed now that they are Captain America and president, respectively.[24] Marvel Studios was excited for Ross to become Red Hulk considering the character's history hunting for Bruce Banner / Hulk, with Moore stating: "Turning a guy who hunted Hulks into a Hulk himself makes him more than an antagonist; it makes him a tragic character."[7] Ford replaces William Hurt, who portrayed Ross in the MCU from 2008 to 2021 before his death in March 2022.[25] Marvel Studios informed Hurt of their plans to have Ross become Red Hulk before his death, and Hurt had been eager to play that aspect of the character.[7]
Additionally, Liv Tyler reprises her role as Betty Ross, a cellular biologist and Thaddeus Ross's daughter, from The Incredible Hulk.[29] Takehiro Hira appears as Prime Minister Ozaki,[30] while Seth Rollins and Rosa Salazar have been cast in undisclosed roles.[31][32]
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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), which starred Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America.[33] Civil War was Evans's last contracted standalone Captain America film,[34] but he was open to extending his contract beyond Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).[35] In January 2021, Evans was reportedly close to signing a deal to reprise the role of Steve Rogers in at least one project. Evans's involvement was said to be similar to how fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) star Robert Downey Jr. had supporting roles as Tony Stark / Iron Man in other MCU films following the Iron Man trilogy.[36] Evans said the report was "news to [him]".[37]
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,[38][39] which was officially announced as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in April 2019.[40] After Rogers bequeaths his shield and the mantle of Captain America to Wilson in Endgame,[41] the series shows Wilson accepting the mantle and coming to terms with the implications of that as a Black man. Before the series premiered, 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 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[42] Series director Kari Skogland was also unsure whether there would be a second season, saying she told the story she wanted to with the first season but there were more stories and characters to explore if a second was made.[43] Executive producer Nate Moore said the series had "evergreen" topics that lent themselves to further exploration and set up ideas for a potential second season.[44] Feige said there were ideas for what "another one" could be, but Marvel intended for the series to lead into an MCU film first as they did with fellow Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021).[45]
After the series finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, "One World, One People", was released in April 2021, Spellman and series writer Dalan Musson were revealed to be writing a fourth Captain America film that continues Wilson's story.[46] Evans's reported return as Rogers was expected to come in a different project.[47] Mackie said he was unaware of any plans for a film or second season, but he was excited to see what happened next and said it would be monumental for him to headline an MCU film, particularly as a Black actor.[48][49] Mackie negotiated a deal to star in the film over the next few months,[50] and officially signed on in August.[2] He later stated that he had been excited to make a second season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with Stan and their co-star Daniel Brühl—who portrays Helmut Zemo—and was disappointed by the pivot to starring in a film without them.[51]
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.[10] Julius Onah was hired to direct the film in July 2022.[52][53] The title was revealed to be Captain America: New World Order at San Diego Comic-Con later that month, and the film was given a release date of May 3, 2024, making it part of Phase Five of the MCU.[54] The subtitle, which is also the name of the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,[55] was noted for its use in politics, professional wrestling, and various conspiracy theories along with antisemitic rhetoric,[56][57][58] and was deemed to be a controversial choice.[57] At the D23 Expo in September, Danny Ramirez and Carl Lumbly were announced to be reprising their respective roles of Joaquin Torres / Falcon and Isaiah Bradley from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier; Tim Blake Nelson was set to return as Samuel Sterns / Leader from the second MCU film, The Incredible Hulk (2008); and Israeli actress Shira Haas was revealed to have been cast as the comic book character Sabra.[8] Nelson was glad to return to the role after years of disappointment over a sequel to The Incredible Hulk not being produced.[59] Onah described New World Order as a paranoid thriller,[8] and said filming would begin in early 2023.[4]
The announcement that Sabra, an Israeli superheroine, would be adapted for the film led to criticisms from some people who believed this would lead to negative stereotypical portrayals of Palestinians and Arabs; in the comics, Sabra is a member of the Mossad and some of the Arab characters she interacts with were perceived to be misogynistic, antisemitic, and violent.[60] The name "Sabra" also has different meanings to Israeli Jews and Palestinians.[13][61][62] The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel criticized the use of the character and called the comic book version's "valorization of Mossad" and perceived racism against Palestinians "sickening".[13] Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American writer and analyst, felt the character could not have a positive role in the film based on her depiction in the comics 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.[60] This led to concerns from some other groups that Marvel was "erasing" the character's Israeli background, which the American Jewish Committee (AJC) compared to "making Captain America Canadian".[12] In the film, the character is a former Black Widow and high-ranking U.S. government official named Ruth Bat-Seraph. The name Sabra is not used, but the character is depicted as Israeli and has an Israeli accent.[12][13][63] The character's inclusion prompted some calls to boycott the film, in part due to the Israel–Hamas war; some supporters of Israel took issue with the character having allegiance to the U.S. government, while some who opposed Israel protested the film's use of the character due to her depiction in the comics.[13] With confirmation that the character would still be depicted as Israeli in the film, the AJC and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) both praised the decision.[12]
In October 2022, Moore was revealed to be producing New World Order alongside Feige.[63][28] Harrison Ford was cast as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross that month, replacing William Hurt who portrayed the character in the MCU until his death in March 2022. Ford was reported to be appearing as Ross in this film as well as the following MCU film, Thunderbolts* (2025).[25][64] Marvel Studios considered changing course with Ross's role in the film's story following Hurt's death, believing no actor would want to take over from Hurt. During that time, Ford reached out to Feige about possibly joining the MCU and agreed to take on the role. Ford saw playing Ross as an opportunity to honor what Hurt had done with the character and also continue with a character arc that he had enjoyed from the previous films. In the film, Ross becomes the president of the United States and eventually finds himself at odds with Wilson amidst a global conspiracy. Moore drew comparisons to the 2017 comic book storyline Secret Empire and noted that Wilson is wearing a suit featuring the colors of the American flag while facing off with the president. He stated, "It's the notion of a guy who believes an ideal, realizing that ideal is not always held up to the same standards by other people, and feeling really betrayed by where the American government [has] gone."[7] When asked about parallels between the film and real-world politics, Ford said similarities between Ross and real presidents were coincidental and his focus was on the character's own history, personality, and circumstances.[65]
Pre-production work at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, began on November 7 ahead of a planned filming start in March 2023.[66] Gersha Phillips served as the costume designer,[67] and Ramsey Avery was the production designer after previously working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).[68] Xosha Roquemore joined the cast in January 2023.[14] Mackie expected to begin work on March 1.[69]
Filming
Principal photography began on March 21, 2023, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Rochelle Rochelle.[66][70] Kramer Morgenthau served as cinematographer.[71] Onah wanted the film's action to be "grounded and tactile" and give Wilson things to do that were not seen in his previous appearances.[4] Avery reiterated that their intent was for the film to be more grounded in reality than recent MCU films had been.[72] Liv Tyler joined the cast by the end of March 2023, reprising her role of Betty Ross from The Incredible Hulk.[29] At that time, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was expected to reprise her MCU role as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the film.[73] 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.[74] Later in May, set photos revealed that Seth Rollins was part of the cast.[31]
In early June, Marvel Studios announced that the film had been retitled Captain America: Brave New World.[75] 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".[57] The change was also deemed to be a wise decision by Collider's Hilary Remley, who noted that the original title could have been interpreted as having antisemitic connotations.[58] Moore explained that Marvel Studios had felt New World Order was "really interesting, and sort of moody and scary" for a subtitle and was not intended to represent real world issues. The studio decided to change the title after receiving feedback about how the phrase "New World Order" had been "co-opted in the real world in a way that made people uncomfortable... sometimes fiction and non-fiction line up in unexpected and unintended ways".[65] At the time of the new subtitle's announcement, Onah was revealed to have co-written the script with Spellman.[75] The film's release date was soon delayed to July 26, 2024.[76] Filming moved to Washington, D.C., by the end of June,[77] and wrapped on June 30.[78]
Post-production
By October 2023, Brave New World had the potential 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 date due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. However, this change was considered unlikely.[79] Following the strike's conclusion in November, Brave New World's release date was delayed to February 14, 2025.[80] Journalist Jeff 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.[81] In December, Matthew Orton was hired to write additional material for the reshoots,[32] which were then scheduled to last from February to May 2024.[32][82] Orton previously worked on the Marvel Studios miniseries Moon Knight (2022). The same day, Rosa Salazar was revealed to have been cast in the film.[32] By the end of January 2024, the reshoots were set to occur from May to August 2024.[83]
Mark Ruffalo stated in February 2024 that he was reprising his MCU role as Bruce Banner / Hulk in the film.[84] Variety soon reported that Ruffalo was not appearing in the film and had misspoken when expressing enthusiasm about it. 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 appearing and the fact that Ford's Thaddeus Ross transforms into Red Hulk in the film.[84][85][26] In April, Feige and Mackie described the film as a "grounded action thriller" with no aliens, more similar in tone to The Winter Soldier than some recent MCU films.[10][23] 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.[10]
Giancarlo Esposito revealed in May 2024 that he had been cast in an MCU role and would be appearing "sooner rather than later",[86] with his character being teased in a film before a bigger role in an MCU television series.[87] 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.[88] In early June, Nelson returned to Atlanta for reshoots.[20] He described these as redoing much of the original work.[59] Mackie characterized the reshoots as just adding a few additional scenes to enhance the film and said there was no "retooling or remaking".[65] Ford and Takehiro Hira also participated in the reshoots.[89] In July, the remains of Tiamut—the Celestial whose emergence on Earth was halted by the Eternals in the MCU film Eternals (2021)—were revealed to be a focus of the film's story,[90][91] allowing the introduction of the fictional metal adamantium to the MCU.[92] Additionally, Esposito announced that he was portraying Seth Voelker / Sidewinder, the leader of the Serpent Society. The inclusion of the Serpent Society paid off a joke Marvel had made years earlier when announcing the third Captain America film as Captain America: Serpent Society, before revealing its true subtitle to be Civil War.[17] Esposito said he would be returning for additional reshoots in mid-November.[93] By the end of the year, Spellman and Musson were given story credit for the film alongside Rob Edwards, while Onah, Peter Glanz, and Orton received screenplay credit. Additionally, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson was revealed to be part of the cast.[16][better source needed]
Matthew Schmidt and Madeleine Gavin worked as editors on the film, with the former previously working on The Winter Soldier and Civil War.[94][16][better source needed] Alessandro Ongaro serves as the visual effects supervisor, with visual effects provided by Wētā FX, Digital Domain, Luma Pictures, Barnstorm VFX, UPP, OPSIS, and Outpost VFX.[95] Wētā FX designed Red Hulk with Ryan Meinerding, Marvel Studios' head of visual development. Wētā visual effects supervisor Dan Cox said they explored various design aspects from the comic books and did not want the character to just look like a color-swapped version of the Hulk. They hoped to make him more intimidating than the Hulk, with a more upright, athletic posture. Onah wanted the character to feel more tactical and methodical due to Ross's military background, and referenced a bear for poses where the character is on all fours. Ford's facial features were incorporated into the design based on scans of his face. The climactic confrontation between Red Hulk and Captain America in Washington, D.C. has more than 300 visual effects shots.[7]
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Laura Karpman was announced as the composer for the film in August 2024. Karpman previously composed the music for the MCU series What If...? (2021–present) and Ms. Marvel (2022), and the film The Marvels (2023).[96][97]
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Feige and Mackie revealed the first footage from the film, focusing on Wilson meeting with Ross, at CinemaCon in April 2024.[10] 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.[98] More footage from the film was shown at a CineEurope panel in June teasing Disney's theatrical slate.[99]
A teaser trailer was released in July which drew comparisons to The Winter Soldier's tone,[100][101][102] with Jennifer Ouellette at Ars Technica describing it as "half-superhero movie, half-political thriller".[103] The appearance of Red Hulk was wildly discussed, particularly the uncertainty of who the character was;[1][101][104][105][106] Adam Chitwood of TheWrap wondered if rumors of Thaddeus Ross becoming Red Hulk were a red herring.[101] The Verge's Charles Pulliam-Moore questioned if the film being a continuation of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would be difficult for general audiences to follow.[102] Conversely, Sandy Schaefer and Chris Evangelista from /Film felt the film would not rely much on the series to have wider audience appeal. They called the trailer "pretty good" considering the film recently completed reshoots, noting that it largely contains action rather than plot details.[106] Commentators also noted the reveal that the remains of Tiamut would be featured in the film, after the Emergence had largely been ignored in MCU projects since Eternals.[15][90][107][108] 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.[90]
Feige and members of the cast promoted the film at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, where more footage was shown, Esposito's role was announced, and Thaddeus Ross was confirmed to be the character who transforms into Red Hulk.[92] Similar footage was also shown at the 2024 D23 Expo.[109] Following online leaks of the San Diego Comic-Con and D23 footage, Marvel released an official look at Red Hulk within their video celebrating the company's 85th anniversary in August.[110] A full trailer for the film debuted at D23 Brasil in November and was released online.[111] After the teases of Red Hulk in previously released footage, the trailer features Ross's transformation into Red Hulk and shots of the character fighting Wilson.[112][113] Several commentators noted the trailer's unique style, featuring "creepy black lines", split-screen shots, and a flickering text effect. Comparisons were drawn to previous political thriller films such as The Candidate (1972), The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Parallax View (1974), All the President's Men (1976), JFK (1991), and The Constant Gardener (2005).[114][115][116] Jordan King at Empire questioned whether Brave New World would live up to these comparisons, but said it was a promising sign that the film was "looking to place itself in conversation" with those previous films.[114]
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Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 14, 2025,[80] in IMAX.[117] It was previously scheduled for May 3, 2024,[75] and then July 26, 2024,[76] before it was pushed to the February 2025 release date following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[80] It will be part of Phase Five of the MCU.[54]
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