By Samantha Ofole-Prince
The Nigerian American writer and director Julius Onah has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Onah, whose credits include “Luce” and the sci-fi thriller “The Cloverfield Paradox,” is the director of Marvel’s latest offering “Captain America: Brave New World.”
The franchise, which now stars Anthony Mackie as Captain America/Sam Wilson, picks up the pieces from “Avengers: Endgame,” when Steve Rogers passed on his vibranium shield.
“Captain America: Brave New World” is about him taking the mantle of Captain America and running with it while facing threats that are bigger than what we’ve seen in the past and for Onah, who also co-wrote the screenplay, it was the perfect project to helm.
“The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so rich and diverse, and we’ve seen so many cosmic and supernatural stories recently, so to be able to get back to something that really takes these fantastic characters and puts them in a world that we all understand and can relate to is really powerful,” he shares.
In the film, Sam Wilson (Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with the newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross and his mission becomes to track down the reason behind a nefarious global plot as he chases down an elusive mastermind.
Onah’s journey to film director has been a remarkably quick one. Just 10 years ago, his movie script about a woman forced to go undercover after she witnesses a murder caught the attention of director Spike Lee. Spike ended up serving as executive producer on the movie titled “The Girl Is in Trouble.” Since then, Onah has worked on numerous projects scooping up several best director nominations including a Spirit Award Nomination for “Luce,” a film which followed an adopted Eritrean former child soldier struggling to find his footing in the United States.
“I am an immigrant, and I grew up all over the world. I was born in Africa, lived in Asia and now in America and I like telling stories that will resonate internationally,” adds the filmmaker who grew up in a very strict Catholic immigrant Nigerian family.
A solid storyteller, Onah is a detailed-oriented director who is deeply invested when it comes to fully developing his characters.
“As the film begins, Sam has been Captain America for a while, and that is a big part of what drew me to wanting to direct this movie. We left Sam at the end of ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ knowing why he wanted to be Captain America, but now we’re meeting him at a place where he has to negotiate what that actually means, what course of action he’s going to take, how he’s going to relate to other people, and how he’s going use the power that the platform gives him. A big part of what he’s going through in this movie is trying to define that in a really specific way,” he explains.
With another Black superhero and a Black director at the helm, Marvel fans can expect a fresh take on the thriller genre that brims with multi-layered characters and visually dazzling set pieces.
Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Brave New World” stars Anthony Mackie, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito and Harrison Ford who steps into the role of the venerable Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, previously portrayed by the late actor William Hurt.
“There have been three widely popular ‘Captain America’ movies before, so clearly this is a beloved character,” Onah continues. “So, I’m thrilled for audiences to go on this journey with Sam, who’s such a fan favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and redefine him as Captain America in a way we’ve never seen before. I can’t wait for people to see it!”
“Captain America: Brave New World,” which premiered last night in Hollywood, opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.
Photos byJoe Scarnici and Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
