Brave New World Is Going To Be Bad

Key Takeaways

• Captain America: Brave New World faces production issues and negative early feedback, potentially leading to a flop.
• Reshoots and rewrites continue despite multiple test screenings, indicating lack of clear vision.
• The film’s release date has been pushed multiple times, and doubts arise surrounding the director’s ability to deliver.

With just over a couple of months to go for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, things don’t seem too bright or optimistic for the MCU’s 35th film. If the pressure of being the first Captain America movie in the post-Steve Rogers era wasn’t enough, the film has been plagued with a number of problems throughout its production.

Captain America: Brave New World does come with its fair share of things to be excited about. While it continues Sam Wilson’s arc from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it features a new story and introduces new characters. The film revolves around Wilson as he finds himself in the midst of an international incident following Thaddeus Ross’s election as President of the United States. But if it’s valid to judge a film prematurely, simply based on the pre-release buzz or reports circulating around, it looks like the upcoming Captain America film is going to be, bluntly put, bad.

Captain America: Brave New World Might Flop

Too Many Production Issues?

The negative discourse surrounding Captain America: Brave New World might seem overwhelming, but it’s not without cause. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn’t a bad show by any means, but its reception wasn’t great either. Despite Anthony Mackie doing a good job as Sam Wilson, who has taken over the reins from Chris Evans as the new Captain America, the film faces a series of hurdles it must overcome to be successful. But it isn’t just these factors. Over the course of production, several reports have suggested that the film underwent multiple reshoots and rewrites, which doesn’t exactly spark hope.

Reshoots & Rewrites Keep On Coming

The reshoot nightmare might continue to haunt the movie, according to industry insider Daniel Richtman, better known to Marvel fans as DanielRPK. A recent unconfirmed report suggests that the feedback for Captain America: Brave New World is still mostly negative, despite going through three rounds of test screenings. While this calls for more changes in the film, any additional reshoots may have already been wrapped up, and only minor corrections could be in order. And considering how close the release date is, it seems unlikely to go for another rewrite or reshoot session. But most importantly, all of this clearly doesn’t work in the film’s favor.

Multiple Release Date Pushes

Brave New World, originally slated for release in mid-2024, had its release date pushed around many times before landing on its current February 14, 2025, slot. While the SAG-AFTRA and Writer’s Guild strikes did not impact the production process much, the film was pushed due to reportedly negative early test screenings. In November 2023, industry insider Jeff Sneider revealed that three main sequences were being cut, and reshoots were planned from January until May or June of 2024, which was the original release date.

Why Brave New World Might Be In Trouble

Lack Of Clear Vision

While reshoots and rewrites exist to make a movie better, they also indicate a lack of clear vision for the story. If there’s no definite idea for Brave New World, then there’s no clear reason to even make it in the first place. So it’s a question of how much Marvel Studios can change the film without starting over from scratch. Combine that with the already tough sell of a Captain America movie without Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, as well as Marvel’s general inconsistency in the post-Endgame era, and the bleakness cannot be dismissed without reason.

Director Doesn’t Spark Confidence

Maybe Captain America: Brave New World could have even benefited from the Russo brothers returning to direct it, or at least from better hands to take it forward than director Julius Onah. While the Cloverfield Paradox filmmaker does deserve a chance to showcase his skills, a film like Brave New World needs proven Marvel talent at the helm to inspire confidence. Compare this creative decision to something like hiring Matt Shakman to direct Fantastic Four: First Steps, who previously produced and directed WandaVision, as well as episodes of Game of Thrones and Fargo. It clearly highlights the reason for apprehension among Marvel fans.

Marvel Can Still Turn Things Around

Faith In Newcomers

But the MCU is known for taking risks with relatively unknown directors and turning them into big names. This includes James Gunn, Jon Watts, Destin Daniel Cretton, and even the Russo brothers, who were primarily known for directing Community before their work in the MCU. Moreover, if there’s any bright side to the whole rewrite/reshoot fiasco, perhaps the revisions would have improved the overall quality of the film. Screenwriter Matthew Orton, who previously worked on Moon Knight, was hired to write the additional material for the reshoots.

Improvements From Revisions

Furthermore, it was only during this time that Giancarlo Esposito and Rosa Salazar were added to the cast, which suggests that their characters may have been introduced as a way to improve the film. The trailer also appears promising, thanks to its relatively grounded political action-thriller tone. Despite all this, Captain America: Brave New World seems like it’s heading toward a disappointing result. But there’s still hope it can defy expectations and prove critics wrong.