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New Captain America Movie Undergoes Reshoots

Well, it looks like Captain America: Brave New World is shaping up to be one of those projects that Marvel probably wishes it could snap away into the dust. Six years after Steve Rogers passed the shield to Sam Wilson in Avengers: Endgame, Anthony Mackie’s solo outing as Captain America is coming in hot—or maybe lukewarm is a better word. With reshoots, script rewrites, and test screenings that have been, let’s say, less than kind, this film is quickly turning into a problem child for the MCU.

Let’s start with those test screenings. According to reports, Marvel split their audience into two groups—each given a different cut of the movie—and neither group seemed particularly thrilled with what they saw. Words like “inessential” and “flat” were thrown around, which is not exactly the kind of buzz you want for a $350 million blockbuster. The political themes of the film were apparently as bland as a soggy bowl of cereal, leaving test audiences less than inspired. And for a franchise that’s always tried to stay somewhat topical, this feedback might sting a little extra.

Oh, and about those reshoots—Brave New World wrapped filming back in June 2023, but after early reactions came in lukewarm, the film’s July 2024 release date was suddenly no longer viable. So, what did Marvel do? They pushed it back a full year to February 2025. You don’t move a big-name tentpole like this unless there’s serious trouble brewing behind the scenes. But maybe adding a few “major action sequences” between May and August of this year will do the trick, right? Or at least that’s what Marvel seems to be banking on.

Speaking of banking, the movie’s got an epic budget of $350 million. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that’s already being met with sighs and shrugs. To put it mildly, fans seem unconvinced that a Captain America movie without Chris Evans can fly, especially when the original shield-slinger has set a high bar for action and charisma. Sure, Marvel has recruited Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross, but it’s not clear if even he can save this sinking ship.

It’s not just the lukewarm test screenings and the delay that spell trouble. The creative process itself has been a rollercoaster. They brought in Matthew Orton for rewrites last December, and now he’s back again for another round of script polishing in the spring and summer of 2024. The story has already been reworked to the point where a minor villain group, the Serpent Society, got the axe. The film is looking more and more like a patchwork quilt of ideas that Marvel is hoping will somehow stitch together into a coherent story.

Meanwhile, other projects like Deadpool & Wolverine and Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance are wrapping up their reshoots and seem to be going out on time. But Brave New World is lagging behind, overshadowed by these other releases and the baggage of a delayed release date. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence when the movie’s been in the works this long and is still struggling to find its footing.

And let’s not forget, Marvel’s had no shortage of struggles lately. They’re facing a tougher market than before, with the superhero movie magic starting to wear thin on audiences. It’s not 2019 anymore, and the cinematic landscape is a lot less forgiving. A movie that comes off as “inessential” or “flat” risks getting lost in the shuffle—or worse, being labeled as yet another case of superhero fatigue.

Marvel has spent years crafting an image of themselves as the go-to for can’t-miss cinematic events, but the delays and underwhelming reactions to Brave New World make it look like they’re scrambling to maintain that magic. The real test will be whether these last-minute tweaks and reshoots can turn things around or if this film will end up as just another footnote in Marvel’s increasingly hit-or-miss Phase 5.

At this point, the only thing that might bring back the hype is a Steve Rogers cameo, but don’t hold your breath. As it stands, Brave New World might have a new man with the shield, but it’s still missing the spark that made the Captain America films the backbone of the MCU. Let’s hope Marvel finds a way to give audiences something to cheer for by the time February 2025 rolls around because right now, the movie’s prospects seem as uncertain as the rescheduled release date.

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