Fourth 'Captain America' film in the works from Falcon and the Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman

Anthony Mackie is expected to once again take flight as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new Captain America in a fourth feature film centered on Marvel's star-spangled hero. According to a surprise pre-weekend story from The Hollywood Reporter, Malcolm Spellman, head writer on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has been tapped to pen the script along with another member of the show's writing staff, Dalan Musson.

It's way too early for casting details, but it's not far-fetched to assume that Sam Wilson will return to save the day — and perhaps train up young Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as the next hero to assume the mantle of Falcon. And what about Bucky (Sebastian Stan) or Steve (Chris Evans)? Our questions are sure to go unanswered for quite some time as the project moves through the various stages of development. The movie doesn't even have a director yet, so if you expect Marvel Studios to start gabbing, you're off your rocker. When THR attempted to squeeze more details out of the Disney-owned studio, they came up dry: "Marvel was tight-lipped as usual."

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wrapped up with its sixth episode Friday. As expected, Mr. Wilson became the rightful inheritor of Steve's shield and title, and the show underscored this with an amended title shown twice throughout the end credits: "Captain America and the Winter Soldier." There are definitely more stories to be told here, and as the first Black person to inhabit the role of America’s patriotic protector, Sam’s character will hopefully pave the way for an even larger conversation in the MCU about inclusivity and representation.

After running around and pretending to be Captain America for a few episodes, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) adopted the nom de plume of U.S. Agent, which places him under the direct supervision of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). It's heavily implied that Walker is now a shadier version of Cap, who will be asked to undertake more covert missions that would otherwise tarnish Cap's pristine reputation. Thunderbolts, here we come...?!

Deadline asserts that Captain America 4 is separate from Chris Evans' rumored return as Steve Rogers. Evans himself, however, previously denied the reports that first broke in late January. In any case, Captain America is set to be only the second hero in the MCU to receive four standalone movies. Chris Hemsworth's Thor will be the first to hit that milestone in next year's Thor: Love and Thunder.

All six episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are currently available to stream on Disney+. The show, which currently holds a fresh 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, beat out The Mandalorian for the title of most-watched series premiere on the fledgling streaming service.