Anthony Mackie, also known as Marvel's The Falcon, is already something of a fanboy of the Marvel superhero universe. When The National first spoke to the star at 2013's Dubai International Film Festival, he could hardly contain his delight at having been cast as the winged superhero in the then-unreleased Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
By our next meeting at the Middle East Film and Comic Con in 2017, he'd firmly set his sights on playing the Hulk in a future Marvel instalment. Fans are a notoriously fickle breed, however, and when we joined Mackie online from Los Angeles this week, alongside Marvel president Kevin Feige and director Kari Skogland, to talk about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he'd already moved on to his next Marvel ambition. Mackie wants a part in the new Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali.
"Kevin? I'd like to spend some time in Blade world," says the star in a deadpan manner to the Marvel supremo.
Despite the actor's earlier flirtation with taking on the Hulk, it seems this desire is not a new one. "I remember they were shooting Spider-Man in Harlem and there was this restaurant I was sitting outside having lunch with my friend who was the manager, and I was a huge Tobey Maguire fan. I saw [Joy Bryant]. She had one line in the film. She said: 'It's Spider-Man.' So, Kevin, I want to be the [Joy] of Blade."
For now, however, Mackie will have to be content with being the The Falcon in the new series, which comes to Disney+ on OSN on Friday. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was slated to be the first Marvel TV spin-off to come to Disney's new streaming service, but an earthquake disrupting shooting in Puerto Rico, followed by the global pandemic, meant it was beaten to the spot by WandaVision.
Just because it's on TV doesn't mean it's not going to be as big as it could possibly be in a movie
That show's stars are revelling in their new-found home on the small screen, riffing on classic sitcom and TV tropes far from the bombast of a typical Avengers movie. Judging by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first episode, not to mention Mackie's revelation that it had a budget in the "hundreds of millions", this latest series could be a little more explosive.
"Just because it's on TV doesn't mean it's not going to be as big as it could possibly be in a movie, which is why it really starts off with a bang," Feige explains. "We kept saying if we're going to do a series with Falcon and Winter Soldier in it, we need to at least start off with the best action we've ever seen, and we've seen a lot of cool action with both of them before."
Series director Skogland agrees with Feige. She says, from the outset, they set out to make a six-hour film, and had some very clear ideas about what sort of film it was going to be. "I did a lot of looking at movies that were in our paradigm because we have a buddy cop kind of relationship going on.
"We looked at some of those, a lot of different influences, to help me put it into a box. I looked at David Lean, Midnight Cowboy. I really go very wide and then try to put it in a pot and come up with something unique."
The new series takes up shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, with the two protagonists each struggling with their own demons in the wake of "the blip," a five-year period when half of the world's population simply ceased to exist, before being brought back to life by the surviving half of The Avengers.
Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan, is in therapy, while Mackie's Sam Wilson is struggling financially – if you think your bank is a stickler for paperwork, try talking to them after you disappeared for five years – and with his sense of unworthiness at being asked by Steve Rogers to carry the Captain America mantle forward at the conclusion of Endgame. Naturally, being Avengers, it's not long before the pair are required to save the world.
We've already seen elements of the love-hate relationship between the two in the Avengers movies. While both were, for the most part, secondary characters in the movies, this time around they're front and centre, and the dysfunctional duo slip surprisingly well into the buddy cop, odd couple dynamic Skogland describes.
Mackie says this dynamic does not disappear when the cameras turn off. "You can't find two people further opposite than Sebastian and I," he says. "But there's a mutual respect, understanding and appreciation of that person. We listen, learn and teach each other a great deal. We are, I would say, friends, and that isn't a term that either of us uses lightly. I think because of that, as Mr T would say, there's no jibber-jabber."
That friendship may prove useful for dealing with the undeniable pressure from Marvel's legions of dedicated fans when the new show is released. It was, bear in mind, initially intended to be the small-screen continuation of Endgame – until this week, the highest-grossing movie ever made – in the real world and the on-screen one.
Fate may have dictated that WandaVision was to come first, but that show is such a quirky outlier that it is almost absolved of any debt to Endgame, and was almost universally well-received regardless.
Now, Mackie and company are faced with the dual responsibility of reaching the bars set by both, its behemoth big-screen predecessor and its much-loved small-screen one. The star seems unfazed. "Endgame was a monumental shift of the superhero universe. The scope of that movie, the idea of that film is something larger than I think anyone imagined," he says. "So our goal was not to mess it up."
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier releases on Friday, March 19 on Disney+ on OSN
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 2,000m - Winner: Powderhouse, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 2,200m - Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Conditions Dh240,000 1,600m - Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 2,000m - Winner: Key Bid, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 1,200m - Winner: Drafted, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
9.25pm: Handicap Dh170,000 1,600m - Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
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Rating: 4/5
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