section_path: Production/Pre-production
section_name: Pre-production
paragraph_text: Pre-production
  
  Julius Onah was hired to direct the film in July 2022, after several meetings with Moore and co-producer Kyana Davidson in which they discussed character, themes, and tone. Onah was championed to Feige and Mackie by actress Octavia Spencer who starred in his film Luce (2019); Spencer is included in the "special thanks" section of the film's credits. Key elements were set by the time Onah joined. He said it was always going to be "a Sam Wilson story", and Wilson would not be conflicted about being Captain America: "That question has been resolved. Sam is our Captain America now." The characters Samuel Sterns and Thaddeus Ross who were first introduced in the second MCU film, The Incredible Hulk (2008), were also set to appear. The inclusion of Sterns was one of the reasons Onah was interested in the film, feeling that someone who operates from intellect would be a good adversary for Wilson. Onah was drawn to the relationships between Wilson and Ross, and between Wilson and Joaquin Torres / Falcon who was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. As Onah further developed the film with Spellman and Musson, they also leaned into Wilson's relationship with another The Falcon and the Winter Soldier character, Isaiah Bradley. Onah felt these three relationships were integral to Wilson's journey in the film, connecting to his past and future. Isaiah's grandson Eli was included in early versions of the script, but was removed due to the large number of characters in the film and the focus on other relationships. Onah said the combination of Wilson, Ross, and Sterns organically led to the film's thriller tone, with elements of paranoid thrillers, political thrillers, and action thrillers. It was described as more grounded than some recent MCU films, closer to the tone of The Winter Soldier.
  
  The filmmakers always intended to bring back Stan for a scene with Barnes and Wilson together, but this was kept secret until the film's release. Onah said there was "no way we were gonna completely divorce these two characters from each other" after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Several different places in the film were considered before they settled on a moment where Barnes provides emotional support for Wilson later in the film. Another element planned before Onah joined was the Serpent Society, a group of snake-themed villains from the comics. This paid off a joke Marvel made years earlier when announcing the third Captain America film as Captain America: Serpent Society, before revealing its true subtitle to be Civil War. Moore acknowledged that the team can come across as "goofy", but he considered them to be part of Captain America's "all-time Hall of Fame villain groups" and wanted to treat them seriously. Onah said their challenge in developing the film was trying to fit the different elements into the intended thriller tone. He added that despite the connections to The Incredible Hulk and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, they wanted the film to work on its own. Mackie said viewers did not need to have seen The Incredible Hulk to watch the film, calling it a "reset" of the MCU that establishes new themes and antagonists for the universe moving forward. Onah said it was important to call back to The Incredible Hulk as part of Ross's story, but he wanted these elements to be revealed through Wilson's point of view.
  
  Later in July 2022 at San Diego Comic-Con, the film's title was revealed to be Captain America: New World Order and it was given a release date of May 3, 2024, making it part of Phase Five of the MCU. The subtitle, which is also the name of the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, was noted for its use in politics, professional wrestling, and various conspiracy theories along with antisemitic rhetoric, and was deemed to be a controversial choice. Several cast members were announced at the D23 Expo that September: Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, both reprising their roles from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier; Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, returning from The Incredible Hulk; and Israeli actress Shira Haas as the comic book character Sabra. Onah said filming would begin in early 2023.
  
  The announcement that Sabra, an Israeli superheroine, would be adapted for the film led to criticisms from some people who believed this would lead to negative stereotypical portrayals of Palestinians and Arabs; in the comics, Sabra is a member of the Mossad and some of the Arab characters she interacts with were perceived to be misogynistic, antisemitic, and violent. The name " Sabra " also has different meanings to Israeli Jews and Palestinians. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel criticized the use of the character and called the comic book version's "valorization of Mossad" and perceived racism against Palestinians "sickening". Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American writer and analyst, felt the character could not have a positive role in the film based on her depiction in the comics and said turning Israeli spies into heroes was "insensitive and disgraceful". In response, Marvel Studios said the film was taking a new approach to the character, just as other comics characters had been re-imagined for modern audiences when brought into the MCU. This led to concerns from some other groups that Marvel was "erasing" the character's Israeli background, which the American Jewish Committee (AJC) compared to "making Captain America Canadian". In the film, the character is a former Black Widow and high-ranking U.S. government official named Ruth Bat-Seraph. The name Sabra is not used, nor is she a mutant or Mossad agent, but the character is depicted as a first-generation Israeli, has an Israeli accent, and Moore said she has the "attitude" and the "essence" of the comics character. He reiterated that the character's backstory was not changed in response to public concerns, and explained that using the Black Widow program to adapt characters who Marvel Studios "didn't want to translate as one-to-one" from the comics was a general idea that came up during the making of the film Black Widow (2021). The character's inclusion prompted some calls to boycott the film, in part due to the Gaza war; some supporters of Israel took issue with the character having allegiance to the U.S. government, while some who are critical of Israel protested the film's use of the character due to her depiction in the comics. With confirmation that the character would still be depicted as Israeli in the film, the AJC and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) both praised the decision.
  
  In October 2022, Moore was revealed to be producing New World Order alongside Feige. Harrison Ford was cast as Thaddeus Ross that month, replacing William Hurt who portrayed the character in the MCU until his death in March 2022. Ford was reported to be appearing as Ross in this film as well as the following MCU film Thunderbolts* (2025). Marvel Studios planned for Ross to transform into Red Hulk in the film. Referencing the character's history of hunting for Bruce Banner / Hulk, Moore said: "Turning a guy who hunted Hulks into a Hulk himself makes him more than an antagonist; it makes him a tragic character." The studio informed Hurt of their plans to have Ross become Red Hulk and he had been eager to portray that aspect of the character. They considered changing course with Ross's role in the film following Hurt's death, believing no actor would want to take over from him. During that time, Ford reached out to Feige about possibly joining the MCU and agreed to take on the role without seeing a script. Ford saw playing Ross as an opportunity to honor what Hurt had done with the character and also continue with a character arc that he had enjoyed from the previous films. In the film, Ross becomes the president of the United States and finds himself at odds with Wilson amidst a global conspiracy. Moore drew comparisons to the 1974 comic book storyline Secret Empire. He noted that Wilson wears a costume featuring the colors of the American flag while facing off with the U.S. president, and said the film's story was about "the notion of a guy who believes an ideal, realizing that ideal is not always held up to the same standards by other people, and feeling really betrayed by where the American government gone". Onah drew comparisons to Ford's film Clear and Present Danger (1994), which features a similar conspiracy involving the president. He wanted to feature themes of bringing people together and focusing on shared experiences, believing these were central to Captain America and Sam Wilson's character, which he thought had "political resonance" but was more about humanity than politics. Marvel Studios was supportive of this, despite Feige joking about Onah trying to "save America" with the film.
  
  Pre-production work at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, began on November 7 ahead of a planned filming start in March 2023. Onah directed cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, production designer Ramsey Avery, and costume designer Gersha Phillips to be specific about how they used the color red in the film, avoiding it in many scenes to make the appearance of Red Hulk at the end of the film more impactful. When red is used in earlier scenes, it is to signify "chaos" while blue tones represent "peacefulness and a sense of things being under control". Avery, who worked on the MCU films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), reiterated that their intent was for the film to be more grounded in reality than recent MCU films. He said it was important to Onah and Feige that the film feel like it was taking place in "the current space... a very real and honest world". Mackie's Captain America costume was redesigned from the one seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which was based on the mostly-white costume that Wilson is known for wearing as Captain America in the comics. The new costume for Brave New World is mostly dark blue, with red and white accents, closer to the costumes Evans wore in The Winter Soldier and other films. The cowl that Mackie wore for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was removed at his request, as he struggled with "the heat, the sweat, the fogged-up glasses" and said it was his "worst nightmare". Ryan Meinerding, Marvel Studios' head of visual development, worked on the costume.
  
  Xosha Roquemore joined the cast in January 2023. Mackie expected to begin work on March 1. That month, Washington, D.C. 's Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment said Marvel Studios would be filming in the city in June. Also in early 2023, Onah reached out to Liv Tyler about reprising her role as Ross's daughter Betty from The Incredible Hulk; Tyler was confirmed to be returning soon after filming began.
  
  Julius Onah was hired to direct the film in July 2022, after several meetings with Moore and co-producer Kyana Davidson in which they discussed character, themes, and tone. Onah was championed to Feige and Mackie by actress Octavia Spencer who starred in his film Luce (2019); Spencer is included in the "special thanks" section of the film's credits. Key elements were set by the time Onah joined. He said it was always going to be "a Sam Wilson story", and Wilson would not be conflicted about being Captain America: "That question has been resolved. Sam is our Captain America now." The characters Samuel Sterns and Thaddeus Ross who were first introduced in the second MCU film, The Incredible Hulk (2008), were also set to appear. The inclusion of Sterns was one of the reasons Onah was interested in the film, feeling that someone who operates from intellect would be a good adversary for Wilson. Onah was drawn to the relationships between Wilson and Ross, and between Wilson and Joaquin Torres / Falcon who was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. As Onah further developed the film with Spellman and Musson, they also leaned into Wilson's relationship with another The Falcon and the Winter Soldier character, Isaiah Bradley. Onah felt these three relationships were integral to Wilson's journey in the film, connecting to his past and future. Isaiah's grandson Eli was included in early versions of the script, but was removed due to the large number of characters in the film and the focus on other relationships. Onah said the combination of Wilson, Ross, and Sterns organically led to the film's thriller tone, with elements of paranoid thrillers, political thrillers, and action thrillers. It was described as more grounded than some recent MCU films, closer to the tone of The Winter Soldier.
  
  The filmmakers always intended to bring back Stan for a scene with Barnes and Wilson together, but this was kept secret until the film's release. Onah said there was "no way we were gonna completely divorce these two characters from each other" after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Several different places in the film were considered before they settled on a moment where Barnes provides emotional support for Wilson later in the film. Another element planned before Onah joined was the Serpent Society, a group of snake-themed villains from the comics. This paid off a joke Marvel made years earlier when announcing the third Captain America film as Captain America: Serpent Society, before revealing its true subtitle to be Civil War. Moore acknowledged that the team can come across as "goofy", but he considered them to be part of Captain America's "all-time Hall of Fame villain groups" and wanted to treat them seriously. Onah said their challenge in developing the film was trying to fit the different elements into the intended thriller tone. He added that despite the connections to The Incredible Hulk and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, they wanted the film to work on its own. Mackie said viewers did not need to have seen The Incredible Hulk to watch the film, calling it a "reset" of the MCU that establishes new themes and antagonists for the universe moving forward. Onah said it was important to call back to The Incredible Hulk as part of Ross's story, but he wanted these elements to be revealed through Wilson's point of view.
  
  Later in July 2022 at San Diego Comic-Con, the film's title was revealed to be Captain America: New World Order and it was given a release date of May 3, 2024, making it part of Phase Five of the MCU. The subtitle, which is also the name of the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, was noted for its use in politics, professional wrestling, and various conspiracy theories along with antisemitic rhetoric, and was deemed to be a controversial choice. Several cast members were announced at the D23 Expo that September: Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, both reprising their roles from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier; Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, returning from The Incredible Hulk; and Israeli actress Shira Haas as the comic book character Sabra. Onah said filming would begin in early 2023.
  
  The announcement that Sabra, an Israeli superheroine, would be adapted for the film led to criticisms from some people who believed this would lead to negative stereotypical portrayals of Palestinians and Arabs; in the comics, Sabra is a member of the Mossad and some of the Arab characters she interacts with were perceived to be misogynistic, antisemitic, and violent. The name " Sabra " also has different meanings to Israeli Jews and Palestinians. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel criticized the use of the character and called the comic book version's "valorization of Mossad" and perceived racism against Palestinians "sickening". Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American writer and analyst, felt the character could not have a positive role in the film based on her depiction in the comics and said turning Israeli spies into heroes was "insensitive and disgraceful". In response, Marvel Studios said the film was taking a new approach to the character, just as other comics characters had been re-imagined for modern audiences when brought into the MCU. This led to concerns from some other groups that Marvel was "erasing" the character's Israeli background, which the American Jewish Committee (AJC) compared to "making Captain America Canadian". In the film, the character is a former Black Widow and high-ranking U.S. government official named Ruth Bat-Seraph. The name Sabra is not used, nor is she a mutant or Mossad agent, but the character is depicted as a first-generation Israeli, has an Israeli accent, and Moore said she has the "attitude" and the "essence" of the comics character. He reiterated that the character's backstory was not changed in response to public concerns, and explained that using the Black Widow program to adapt characters who Marvel Studios "didn't want to translate as one-to-one" from the comics was a general idea that came up during the making of the film Black Widow (2021). The character's inclusion prompted some calls to boycott the film, in part due to the Gaza war; some supporters of Israel took issue with the character having allegiance to the U.S. government, while some who are critical of Israel protested the film's use of the character due to her depiction in the comics. With confirmation that the character would still be depicted as Israeli in the film, the AJC and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) both praised the decision.
  
  In October 2022, Moore was revealed to be producing New World Order alongside Feige. Harrison Ford was cast as Thaddeus Ross that month, replacing William Hurt who portrayed the character in the MCU until his death in March 2022. Ford was reported to be appearing as Ross in this film as well as the following MCU film Thunderbolts* (2025). Marvel Studios planned for Ross to transform into Red Hulk in the film. Referencing the character's history of hunting for Bruce Banner / Hulk, Moore said: "Turning a guy who hunted Hulks into a Hulk himself makes him more than an antagonist; it makes him a tragic character." The studio informed Hurt of their plans to have Ross become Red Hulk and he had been eager to portray that aspect of the character. They considered changing course with Ross's role in the film following Hurt's death, believing no actor would want to take over from him. During that time, Ford reached out to Feige about possibly joining the MCU and agreed to take on the role without seeing a script. Ford saw playing Ross as an opportunity to honor what Hurt had done with the character and also continue with a character arc that he had enjoyed from the previous films. In the film, Ross becomes the president of the United States and finds himself at odds with Wilson amidst a global conspiracy. Moore drew comparisons to the 1974 comic book storyline Secret Empire. He noted that Wilson wears a costume featuring the colors of the American flag while facing off with the U.S. president, and said the film's story was about "the notion of a guy who believes an ideal, realizing that ideal is not always held up to the same standards by other people, and feeling really betrayed by where the American government gone". Onah drew comparisons to Ford's film Clear and Present Danger (1994), which features a similar conspiracy involving the president. He wanted to feature themes of bringing people together and focusing on shared experiences, believing these were central to Captain America and Sam Wilson's character, which he thought had "political resonance" but was more about humanity than politics. Marvel Studios was supportive of this, despite Feige joking about Onah trying to "save America" with the film.
  
  Pre-production work at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, began on November 7 ahead of a planned filming start in March 2023. Onah directed cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, production designer Ramsey Avery, and costume designer Gersha Phillips to be specific about how they used the color red in the film, avoiding it in many scenes to make the appearance of Red Hulk at the end of the film more impactful. When red is used in earlier scenes, it is to signify "chaos" while blue tones represent "peacefulness and a sense of things being under control". Avery, who worked on the MCU films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), reiterated that their intent was for the film to be more grounded in reality than recent MCU films. He said it was important to Onah and Feige that the film feel like it was taking place in "the current space... a very real and honest world". Mackie's Captain America costume was redesigned from the one seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which was based on the mostly-white costume that Wilson is known for wearing as Captain America in the comics. The new costume for Brave New World is mostly dark blue, with red and white accents, closer to the costumes Evans wore in The Winter Soldier and other films. The cowl that Mackie wore for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was removed at his request, as he struggled with "the heat, the sweat, the fogged-up glasses" and said it was his "worst nightmare". Ryan Meinerding, Marvel Studios' head of visual development, worked on the costume.
  
  Xosha Roquemore joined the cast in January 2023. Mackie expected to begin work on March 1. That month, Washington, D.C. 's Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment said Marvel Studios would be filming in the city in June. Also in early 2023, Onah reached out to Liv Tyler about reprising her role as Ross's daughter Betty from The Incredible Hulk; Tyler was confirmed to be returning soon after filming began.