Captain America Brave New World's new release date, casting news and everything we know so far

Falcon and Winter Solider final trailer
(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)

Anthony Mackie is flying into Captain America 4 — which just got a new title and a later release date.

His character, Sam Wilson, took up the mantle in the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He will take over for his friend, Steve Rogers, portrayed by Chris Evans in the first three Captain America movies and Avengers team-ups. 

Captain America 4, aka Captain America: Brave New World, is being written by Falcon and Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman and another of the show's writers, Dalan Musson. Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) is directing.

Here's everything we know so far about Captain America 4.

Captain America 4's new title revealed

In the below Instagram post, Anthony Mackie revealed that "New World Order" is yesterday's title, and that Captain America 4 is now Captain America: Brave New World.

It's unclear why the name change happened, but since the phrase "New World Order" is the name of a conspiracy theory about a totalitarian world government, we could see Marvel wanting to distance itself from that. 

Captain America 4 release date delayed

Captain America 4 is coming on June 26, 2024, not May 3, 2024, as was previously announced at Comic-Con.

The new release date came in a swarm of Marvel, Star Wars and Avatar release date changes.

Captain America 4 cast grows with a WWE wrestler

As Deadline and other outlets reported, Anthony Mackie is set to return as Sam Wilson, who took up the title of Captain America in the finale of Falcon and Winter Soldier. Deadline later confirmed that Harrison Ford will be in the film as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and he's also going to be in Marvel's Thunderbolts movie.

Tim Blake Nelson and Liv Tyler will reprise the roles of Samuel Sterns and Betty Ross, characters last seen in The Incredible Hulk. Sterns becomes a big-headed villain known as The Leader, and Betty is the daughter of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

The latest new cast member is the WWE's own Seth Rollins (whose real name is Colby Lopez). ComicBook.com reports that Rollins looks as if he is a member of the villainous Serpent Society. 

It's unknown if Sebastian Stan will be back as Bucky Barnes, a.k.a the Winter Soldier. The two characters are both friends of Steve Rogers and developed their own partnership in the Disney Plus series. Bucky has been in every Captain America movie, however, so we would be surprised if he didn't show up in this one. 

Stan at least is very excited about Mackie's ascension as Captain America, as he reacted positively to the casting news on Instagram:

Sebastian Stan Instagram

(Image credit: Instagram)

There are also question marks about Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter, Wyatt Russell's John Walker, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The latter made a cameo in the post-credits scene of Black Widow and looks to figure into future movies. 

Speaking of Falcon and Winter Soldier characters, Danny Ramirez is back as Joaquin Torres, and will take on the mantle of the Falcon. Carl Lumbly reprises the role of Isaiah Bradley.

Captain America 4 plot and possible comics storylines

Very few details are known about the plot of Captain America 4, since the script is still in progress.

However, we can speculate about a few things. Sam is new to being Captain America, so the movie may revolve around his transition in the role. 

The Falcon and Winter Soldier left a few dangling plot threads that could be addressed in Captain America 4. John Walker, who served briefly as Captain America, is still around and his U.S. Agent could be the primary antagonist. And then there's Sharon Carter, who was revealed as the Power Broker. She received a pardon in the finale but is also planning to use her reinstated status for nefarious purposes. 

As far as possible storylines from the comics, many fans are hoping to see an adaptation of the original "Secret Empire" from the 1970s (not the new one!). In it, Steve discovers a far-reaching government conspiracy. He's framed by the cabal for murder, which leads the public to shun him. Considering how FAWS brought institutionalized racism into its story, the "Secret Empire" plot could be adapted to do the same to fit Sam. And Sharon, Valentina and John Walker could all easily be involved.

More from Tom's Guide

Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.