It's finally official.
Deadline has confirmed that Harrison Ford is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the new General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, and is all set to make his debut in 2024's Captain America: New World Order, where he'll star opposite leading man Anthony Mackie.
The Ankler's Jeff Sneider was the first to report the news last month, revealing that Marvel Studios had intended on making the announcement at the D23 Expo, but they were blocked by Lucasfilm, who wanted to keep all the Ford focus on his Indiana Jones swan song.
The Star Wars and Blade Runner legend takes over the role from the late William Hurt, who played the part five times (The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow).
Following his first appearance in Captain America: New World Order, he'll assume a larger role in Thunderbolts later that year, where he'll presumably lead the team. It's hard to say whether we'll ever see him transform into the Red Hulk, but it certainly can't be ruled out, especially with more Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) adventures on the horizon.
Julius Onah is directing Captain America: New World Order, with a screenplay from Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. The cast will feature Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Danny Ramirez as Joaquín Torres/Falcon, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/Leader, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, and Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph/Sabra. It's set to open in theaters on May 3, 2024.
Jake Schreier is helming Thunderbolts, utilizing a screenplay from Eric Pearson. The ensemble cast consists of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The team-up title hits theaters on July 26, 2024.