I have yet to get to theatres to see 42, but apparently its star Chadwick Boseman is doing something right, besides having an awesome name. Boseman is reportedly at the top of the shortlist to play Marvel’s Black Panther – a part of the studio’s Phase Three plans.
This is just a rumor as yet – no deals are signed, no offers officially made, but it is as close as we have yet come to getting a Black Panther movie. The film has been rumored and hinted at for a while now, but this is really the first I’ve heard of anyone being seriously considered as a lead. What with all the new Marvels coming up the pipeline (Thor 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers 2, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Iron Man 23 or whatever), and the casting rumors that swirl around the ones in pre-production, I keep missing stories.
Boseman has been kicking around for awhile now – he has a minor role in Ivan Reitman’s upcoming Draft Day with Kevin Costner, and cropped up in TV shows like Castle and The Glades. But 42 is his breakout part, as it would be for any young actor hired to play someone as iconic as Jackie Robinson. It would be nice to see Marvel turn around and hire someone who is only slightly known for a major role like Black Panther, as they did with Chris Hemsworth and Thor. Seems to me that Boseman fits that bill.
I never put too much stock in rumors, though, and this is a really early one. The fact that it also hits just as 42 comes out makes me a wee bit skeptical. Come next month we might be talking about how they’ve cast Denzel Washington.
What do you think? Would Boseman be a good choice for Black Panther? Is there any cooler name than ‘Chadwick’?