Last weekend, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the box office monster Captain America: Civil War, ahead of his solo film in 2018. If the superhero’s introduction wasn’t enough for some to be sold on the upcoming Ryan Coogler-directed Black Panther, perhaps the addition of a certain Oscar winner to the film’s cast will do the trick.
The Hollywood Reporter claims that 12 Years a Slave actress Lupita Nyong’o is in talks to play T’Challa/Black Panther’s love interest in Marvel’s Black Panther. Nyong’o’s specific role is unknown at the time, although some have speculated that she could be playing anyone from Dora Milaje, a soldier from a squad that guards the king of Wakanda, to Monica Lynne, an American singer who relocates to Wakanda, to maybe even Storm, who also exists in the X-Men cinematic universe.
Black Panther will be Nyong’o’s fifth collaboration with Disney, following Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Jungle Book, Queen of Katwe and Star Wars: Episode VIII.
Since winning her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 12 Years a Slave in 2014, Nyong’o has starred in the highest grossing film of all time domestically, The Force Awakens, and what will most likely wind up being one of this year’s most successful films, The Jungle Book. So far, The Jungle Book has brought in about $787 million worldwide, but there’s a good change it will hit the $1 billion mark by the end of its box office run. The actress is on board to star in Ava DuVernay’s Intelligent Life in 2017.
Aside from Nyong’o, Boseman and Andy Serkis, who has been rumored to reprise his role as Ulysses Klaue from Avengers: Age of Ultron, the cast of the standalone film is still largely a mystery with many other casting announcements expected to be made over the next few months.
On top of directing, Coogler will be penning the 18th MCU film’s screenplay alongside Joe Robert Cole. The film will begin production in early 2017 and claw its way into theaters on February 16, 2018.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
