It seems like the wait for Marvel’s new slate of Disney+ shows is taking an eternity. We haven’t had a dose of Cinematic Universe goodness since last summer’s Spider-Man: Far From Home! But fear not, True Believers, the very first of the Disney+ Marvel shows is right around the corner. That’s right, we’re talking about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is set to begin streaming in August 2020. Anthony Mackie recently spoke to a few news outlets to promote his Netflix series Altered Carbon, and of course he was asked about the highly-anticipated upcoming show.
First there were leaked set photos. Then there was a Super Bowl teaser. Now we have the Falcon himself divulging delightful details on what he and the Marvel maestros have in store for us. One thing Mackie revealed is that it’s actually him flinging Captain America’s shield in the footage we’ve seen so far!
“I was surprised that they used me, because you have a double, a dude that looks like you who’s like a gymnast and he does all this stuff. That’s when they’re like, ‘All right, Anthony, you do it.’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, you just saw what this dude did! How you gonna ask me to do that?’ So, I was surprised when I saw the Super Bowl trailer that they actually used me throwing the shield,” he told comicbook.com.
Mackie only had more good things to say of Marvel’s first foray into the streaming ether: “It’s a huge… I mean, we only have six episodes but it’s a massive undertaking. It’s a massive project. And we’ve been… it’s a lot. You know, it’s Marvel so the story’s there, the character’s there, but those action set pieces are just as vast.”
In another recent interview with The Daily Beast, Mackie spoke about the pressure that comes with being the first of the Disney+ Marvel series to hit the streamways, saying: “I feel like, if we’re going to fail, we should fail 100 percent. Don’t fail halfway. But it’s been fun, man. There’s so much stuff going on in the Marvel Universe since Disney has gotten involved, and we have a really supportive team. It’s Victoria [Alonso] and Louis [D’Esposito] and Kevin [Feige] and all the other guys over there—we always have people we can talk to if we feel like stuff isn’t going right. So, it’s been great. We’ve definitely stumbled a few times, but we’re running full steam ahead to get these shows done.”
Maybe if acting doesn’t work out, Anthony Mackie could have a bright future in PR? Because he is killing the game at getting us psyched up for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Whatever may come for Sam Wilson as he takes on the red, white, and blue mantle of Captain America, it sounds like Anthony Mackie and the rest of the cast are having a blast putting it together, and their carefree fun is infectious. As Mackie would say, Cut the check!