Captain America 4 officially casts Anthony Mackie in lead role

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie has officially been cast to lead Captain America 4, reports Deadline.

Mackie has appeared as Falcon in five movies, starting with 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and took the mantle from Steve Rogers in the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. For fans, this is considered a long-overdue debut for Mackie as the lead character in a superhero movie.

It isn't yet clear whether Mackie's co-star, Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes in the MCU (and most recently in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), will also have a role in the as-yet-untitled Captain America 4. Kevin Feige's Marvel Studios is well-known for keeping plot and character details under wraps, so there's a good chance we'll be waiting for the first trailer to find out more about the upcoming superhero movie's cast.

Reports confirming Captain America 4 first surfaced back in April, and at the time it was heavily rumored that the movie would continue the story of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier character Sam Wilson, Cap's newest alter ego played by Mackie. With today's confirmation, it's likely we'll see Mackie star in additional Captain America sequels down the road.

Captain America 4's script is being written by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier head writer and creator Malcolm Spellman, alongside series writer Dalan Musson. Marvel Studios reportedly hasn't decided on a director for Mackie's Captain America flick.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4. And for what to watch right now, check out our list of the best superhero movies of all time and the best movies on Disney Plus.