‘Captain America 4’ Casting Rumors: Who Could Be Joining Anthony Mackie?

“Captain America 4” is officially happening after lead star Anthony Mackie signed a deal to do the project under Marvel Studios. The question now is: who could be joining him in the highly anticipated movie?

The 42-year-old Hollywood actor has closed a deal with Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios to star in his first superhero-led film in “Captain America 4,” sources told Deadline Wednesday, adding that details about the project are still under wraps.

The title role was a long time coming for the Juilliard-educated star, who has played Falcon in six different Marvel movies starting with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The decision for Mackie to star in the new “Captain America” installment wouldn’t come as a surprise to Marvel fans since before Chris Evans bid goodbye to his role as Steve Rogers in the MCU, he handed Captain America’s shield to Falcon in “Avengers: Endgame.”

Meanwhile, the announcement of Mackie’s deal for “Captain America 4” has brought forth speculations on who could be joining him in the standalone movie. The involvement of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” head writer Malcolm Spellman in the project could be a big spoiler on the cast and characters making a comeback for the big screen, according to Variety.

Mackie’s former co-star Sebastian Stan, who played Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, was the first name to pop up in the casting rumors for the upcoming flick. Other familiar faces speculated to be part of “Captain America 4” include Wyatt Russell (John Walker) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine).

Walker had the chance to temporarily hold onto Captain America’s shield before, but he later proved to be unworthy of it. On the other hand, Dreyfus’ villain character did not only appear in “FATWS” but also teased her return to the MCU in a post-credits scene for “Black Widow.”

Aside from Spellman, “FATWS” staff writer Dalan Musson has also been attached to the next “Captain America” installment. However, the project has yet to find its director. Its release is also unlikely to happen next year given Marvel’s crowded calendar. Fans can expect it to arrive in 2023 at the earliest, according to Variety.