A Marvel movie will be filming scenes in D.C. this year, officials with the D.C. Office Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment said Thursday. At a press conference hosted by Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), OCTFME Director LaToya Foster teased the filming.
“We have Marvel coming to Washington D.C.,” Foster said. “I can’t give you too much about that but let me tell you, we’re going to have a huge Marvel film taking place right in downtown that you won’t want to miss out on.”
Currently, the OCTFME doesn’t have any additional details regarding the Marvel film. But production for Wake, a film co-produced by Edmonds Entertainment (known for Soul Food and Jumping the Broom) and D.C.-based OCTET Productions, will begin this month.
As for the Marvel shoot, just like Mysterio, it remains a bit of a mystery which film may be coming to the District, but we’ve got some theories.
Captain America: New World Order
The most obvious choice is that D.C. could be a backdrop for Anthony Mackie’s new Captain America film. Mackie will fill the titular role for the first time on the big screen. Production is rumored to begin this month and run through July, with filming starting at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, according to the Midgard Times. The movie’s plot, Midgard reports, centers on a power struggle between countries over who controls the metal Adamantium, and stars Harrison Ford as the villain — and the U.S. president, which seems to suggest at least some scenes in D.C.
But Captain America may also film some scenes right here in the District. It wouldn’t be the first time: Some may be familiar with the iconic “on your left” scene with Chris Evans’ Captain America passing Anthony Mackie around the National Mall in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was filmed in the District in the spring of 2013.
Thunderbolts
The focus of Thunderbolts is a team of supervillains assembled by the U.S. government for a mission. And where is the government? The nation’s capital, of course! The film will feature Florence Pugh in her Black Widow role of Yelena Belova, along with Ford in the same role as Captain America: New World Order, Olga Kurylenko, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, according to Screen Rant. Thunderbolts is expected to begin filming in June, according to Variety.
Armor Wars
Starring Iron Man‘s Don Cheadle reprising his role as War Machine, the film is focused on what happens if Stark Tech falls into the wrong hands. It was originally announced as a Disney+ series, but is now going to be adapted into a full-length film, according to The Direct.
This may be the least likely guess due to conflicting reports about the production’s alleged April start date, and the project has yet to announce a director. But if they were to film, D.C. could serve as a potential location for political conflict over Tony Stark’s technology.
Other honorable mentions are the rest of the films currently slated in the upcoming Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (according to CNET) — Blade, Deadpool 3, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars — though there’s no indication that any of them have any D.C. connections.
Aja Drain