Captain America: New World Order Casts Xosha Roquemore in Key Role

Xosha Roquemore, best known for her roles in Precious and The Mindy Project, has joined the cast of Marvel's Captain America: New World Order. The film, which stars Anthony Mackie as Captain America, is set to hit theaters next year from director Julius Onah, who is working from a script by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier writers Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. Roquemore joins a cast that already includes Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly and Shira Haas. The movie will serve as the first solo Captain America movie since Chris Evans squared off with Robert Downey, Jr. in Captain America: Civil War in 2016.

There are no specific details about Roquemore's role, but it's said to be key to the story (per Deadline, who first reported her casting). Her recent screen credits include Space Jam: A New Legacy, Black Monday, and Atlanta.

Evans's Steve Rogers tapped Mackie's Sam Wilson to take over as Captain America in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. The character next popped up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which he struggled with the legacy of Captain America and whether to take on the responsibilities of the role. At the end of the series, he officially became the new Captain America, and New World Order was announced not long after.

Marvel VP of Production and Development Nate Moore recently stopped by Comicbook.com's Phase Zero podcast to talk about the upcoming movie. 

"I think, [Sam's] not Steve Rogers and I think that's a good thing," Moore said. "Because to me, this new Cap is Rocky. He's going to be the underdog in any situation. He's not a super soldier. He's not a hundred years old. He doesn't have the Avengers. What happens with this guy who announces publicly kind of, without the support, 'I'm new Captain America.' What happens next?"

The film will pit Captain America and company against The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), who originated the role in 2008's The Incredible Hulk.

"One of the things that really drew me to this project is The Leader is a man who operates from intellect, and so it's great to have an adversary who is working with this incredible intellect to really, you know, put Sam through the wringer in this story," Onah told ComicBook.com. "And again, as a paranoid thriller, is this grounded adventure where I think that everything that happens in this film feels so real and intense, because of who this adversary is. So, back to that other question of yours, what he's going to have to go through in this film is because he's got an adversary who is so terrifyingly intelligent."  

Captain America: New World Order will be in theaters on May 3, 2024.