Just yesterday, the web got all stirred up by some tweets from Star Wars: Episode VII star John Boyega which suggested he was in talks with Marvel to take on the role of T’Challa, aka the Black Panther, in an upcoming film (which, for the record, hasn’t even been announced yet). It turned out that Boyega was just enjoying the Civil War storyline, not claiming that he was in fact up for the part, but the idea of the actor playing the character got us thinking about who would actually be a good fit for the agile leader of Wakanda.
Chadwick Boseman, the rising star of Jackie Robinson and James Brown biopics 42 and Get On Up, respectively, is one very viable option. He’s tremendously talented, versatile and, best of all, not entirely opposed to the idea. MTV News spoke with the actor about his well-received turn in Get On Up to ask about whether Boseman might be in contention for the role, and his response was a little curious.
According to MTV:
“I know nothing of it, I have no knowledge of this,” Boseman said after hearty (and curious) laugh. “It’s not out of the question, but I have no direct knowledge of this.”
Does Boseman know something the rest of us don’t, or is he just having a go at MTV? The latter seems more likely, especially given how preoccupied Marvel has been with Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange lately. However, it’s worth noting that Comic-Con is a pretty magical place for Marvel fans, so we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for any rumblings about an introduction for the Black Panther (perhaps as a cameo or name-drop in Age of Ultron, similar to Stephen Strange’s in Captain America: The Winter Soldier?).