Marvel Studios has now confirmed which directors will be behind several of their upcoming projects ,including the MCU Blade reboot, Captain America 4, and Thunderbolts. As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq will helm Blade; Captain America 4, which will be titled Captain America: New World Order, will be directed by Luce and The Cloverfield Paradox filmmaker Julius Onah; and finally, Thunderbolts will be directed by Paper Towns’ Jake Schreier.
While we have heard whisperings of these appointments in the recent past, it’s always nice to have things confirmed. All three of these major MCU projects were announced by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at the recent San Diego Comic-Con, during which Marvel put on a show-stopper of a presentation. This trio of Marvel outings will make up Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will begin with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Blade, Captain America: New World Order, and ending with Thunderbolts.
Release dates have also now been confirmed, with Blade set for release on November 3, 2023 release, followed by Captain America: New World Order on May 3, 2024, and Thunderbolts on July 26, 2024.
Blade was first announced way back in 2019, and will be led by Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker. Not much is yet known about the project, but the character has already made his debut in the MCU, offering a cryptic warning to Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman during a post-credits scene at the end of Eternals. Stacy Osei-Kuffour will write the script for Blade, with Delroy Lindo and The Wonder Years star Milan Ray set to star alongside Mahershala Ali.
Captain America: New World Order, meanwhile, will center on Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America and is expected to pick up following the events of the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Finally, Thunderbolts will introduce an antihero team akin to what DC has done with The Suicide Squad.
Destin Daniel Cretton Will Direct Avengers 5
Not only have these filmmakers all now been confirmed, but it has also now been revealed which lucky filmmaker has been chosen to direct Avengers 5. Now titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the man behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Destin Daniel Cretton, will helm the next outing for the hugely popular superhero team.
Not much has yet been revealed about what Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will involve but judging by the title, it will see the titular group do battle with Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be part of Phase 6 (yes, Phase 6) of the MCU, and is scheduled to be released on May 2, 2025. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be followed up with Avengers: Secret Wars the same year, with Avengers: Secret Wars now scheduled to be released on November 7, 2025.
Next up, though, is the highly anticipated sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will land in theaters on November 11, 2022 and bring Phase 4 of the MCU to a close.