The recently released Captain America: Civil War introduced Chadwick Boseman as the first live-action theatrical incarnation of the first black superhero in mainstream comics, Black Panther. Boseman's character was remarkable enough for us to really look forward to his 2018 standalone flick.
Even though filming for the Black Panther movie will not begin any sooner than 2017, it appears that the casting process is underway at Marvel Studios. The latest report from The Hollywood Reporter claims that the studio is looking to add an Academy Award winning actress to the movie's cast roster. And that actress is the Twelve Years A Slave star Lupita Nyong'o.
According to the report, the Mexican-Kenyan actress is in talks to join the Black Panther movie as the female lead. She will be playing T'Challa's love interest if the deal gets sealed. No further details on the character have been revealed.
If Lupita's character is one from the comic books, it might be Monica Lynne, the singer who saved T’Challa from drowning once. She's been his longest-running love interest. However, this could be an entirely original character created for this movie. We've seen so many of them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe already.
A strong relationship prevails between Lupita Nyong'o and Walt Disney Studios. She portrayed Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and will reprise the role in Episode VIII. She also features in the studio's recently released The Jungle Book and the upcoming Queen of Katwe. And since the studio owns Marvel, Lupita's involvement in the Black Panther movie doesn't come to us as a big surprise.
Creed director Ryan Coogler is set to helm the movie. He’s also penning the script, along with Joe Robert Cole. The movie is scheduled to release on February 16, 2018.
