Anthony Mackie will appear in Captain America 4. The star has reportedly signed on to carry the Captain America shield and headline his first Marvel film.

His character, Sam Wilson, assumed the mantle in the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He would succeed his friend Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans in the first three "Captain America" films and the "Avengers" team-up.

The unofficially titled "Captain America 4" is being written by "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" screenwriter Malcolm Spellman and the show's other writer, Darran Matson. A director has not yet been selected.

A release date for Captain America 4 has not been set and will not be released for some time.

The screenplay is still being written by Malcolm Spellman and Darran Matson. A director has not yet been selected either. This means that the project is still quite some time away from entering pre-production and filming.

And given Marvel's very packed schedule for the next two years, it is likely that "Captain America 4" will not premiere until after 2023.

It will be followed by "Shang Princess and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Eternals," and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in 2021. After that, the studio will release "Doctor Strange: The Madness Multiverse," "Thor: Love and Thunder," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and "The Marvels."

In 2023, "Captain America 4" could be alongside "Ant-Man and the Wasp": Quantumania and "Guardians of the Galaxy 3". And also Marvel is planning a reboot of "Fantastic Four" and "Blade."

As reported by Deadline and others, Anthony Mackie is set to return as Sam Wilson, who took Captain America's place in the "Falcon" and "Winter Soldier" finales.

It is unknown if Sebastian Stan will return as Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier; both characters were friends of Steve Rogers and formed their own partnership on the Disney Plus series. However, Bucky has appeared in all of the "Captain America" films, so it would be surprising if he did not appear in this one.

At least Stan is very excited about Mackie being promoted to Captain America, as he reacted positively to the casting news on Instagram:

Sharon Carter, who also plays Emily VanCamp, John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, are also question marks. The latter has a cameo in a post-credits scene in "Black Widow" and is likely to appear in future films.

Few details about the plot of "Captain America 4" are known, as the script is still in progress.

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

"The Falcon" and "The Winter Soldier" have a few plot threads hanging over them that could be addressed in "Captain America 4." One is the hint that Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) will take over Sam's old mantle and become the Falcon. John Walker, who temporarily served as Captain America, is still around, and his U.S. agent could be a major antagonist. Then there is Sharon Carter, who was revealed to be a power broker. She was pardoned in the finale, but also plans to abuse her reinstated position.

As for potential storylines from the comics, many fans are hoping for a 1970s original Secret Empire (not a new one!) ), and are hoping for an adaptation of the original. In it, Steve discovers a far-reaching government conspiracy. He is framed for murder by the cabal and the public shuns him; given that "FAWS" brought institutionalized racism into the story, the plot of "Secret Empire" could be similarly adapted to suit Sam. And Sharon, Valentina, and John Walker all could easily be involved.