NEW ORLEANS - Marvel's newest Captain America and New Orleans-born actor Anthony Mackie is planning to start a movie studio in New Orleans East.

Sources tell The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate that Mackie bought a tract of 20 acres on the I-10 Service Road at Read Boulevard, near the Little Woods neighborhood, according to land records.

The negotiation for the land had reportedly gone on for months, and Mackie closed on the purchase Friday, March 11, sources say.

The 43-year-old actor said through his agent that it was premature to discuss specifics about the studio, but several people involved in the negotiation said Mackie intends to site his new production company, East Studios LLC, at the location and is looking to buy more space nearby.

Mackie is a graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and has taken on dozens of film and television roles, such as Marvel's Falcon. He recently moved into producing, with credits on films including "The Banker" and "Outside the Wire."

The scope of Mackie's studio plans is not yet clear, but it could mark a new level for Louisiana's film and television industry with the acquisition of intellectual property, development, production, and marketing, according to The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.