Marvel Studios Has Hired Julius Onah, Director of 'The Cloverfield Paradox' To Direct 'Captain America 4'
My, my, this America guy. The character and title of Captain America have been undergoing serious changes in the MCU. From Steve Rogers’ dramatic, timeline-altering decision in Avengers: Endgame to Sam Wilson’s claiming of the mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America may never be the same again. Following Steve’s shocking choice, Sam Wilson aka Falcon was left to fight for peace and justice alongside Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier. Initially, Sam had a difficult time adjusting to the new status quo, which wasn’t helped by new enemies and shaky allies. Fortunately, though, Sam was able to come into his own as a hero and decided to accept the responsibility of becoming the next Captain America. This, of course, also paved the way for Sam to take center stage in the future Captain America sequel. Now, that film has finally found its director.
Julius Onah has been officially hired to direct the next installment in the Captain America franchise. A Nigerian-American filmmaker, Onah has, as of now, three previous projects to fill his filmography. These are The Girl Is in Trouble (2015), Luce (2019), and his most well-known work, The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), which he directed as part of the experimental Cloverfield film series. Onah seems to be quite talented as a director and writer and is a bold yet exciting choice for the upcoming Captain America film. Naturally, the film will also star Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka Captain America, complete with his new suit and shield introduced in the final episode of his Disney+ series. The film has also found a writer in the form of Malcolm Spellman, who previously worked as a writer for the aforementioned series.
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Even before this announcement, Onah was already known and respected throughout the world of independent filmmaking. His independent drama film Luce had its debut at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, featuring a stylish neon aesthetic and a star-studded cast consisting of Naomi Watts, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tim Roth, and Octavia Spencer. Despite the mixed reactions to his Cloverfield film the previous year, his return to independent film with Luce helped solidify his talent as a filmmaker and garnered him three Indie Spirit Award nominations, including Best Director. Even before he made a feature-length movie, Onah had gained renown for his previous shorts, which he made shortly after moving to the US from his hometown in Markurdi, Nigeria. An NYU film school thesis movie of his even managed to attract Spike Lee as an executive producer.
If you ask me, the MCU is at its best when it looks for talent in unexpected places. Rather than going off of the usual lists of established writers and directors, the MCU and other major franchises should instead look to smaller talents with fewer credits to their names. After all, it was Lucasfilm’s hiring of Rian Johnson that led to the creation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which I still consider to be the most innovative film in the Skywalker Saga. Taking risks brings rewards. So the more risks these enormous studios are willing to take, the better, more unique their creative output is likely to be.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
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