We already know that Chadwick Boseman will play the titular Black Panther (aka T'Challa) in Marvel's upcoming Black Panther film, but we haven't known any other major cast members in the next Marvel film. Now, however, the first casting rumors are starting to flood in, and those rumors have revealed some major plot points about the film.
First, Ernie Hudson (of Ghostbusters fame) has been rumored to play the Black Panther's father, T'Chaka in the film. This is likely a small but extremely important role- in the Marvel character's backstory, he is the son of an African king (T'Chaka) who brings their nation, Wakanda, to prominence after discovering a massive cache of the rare metal Vibranium. Eventually, however, T'Chaka is murdered and it is up to T'Challa to take over the throne of Wakanda. And also become a superhero.
It's likely that T'Chaka's death is going to be a major motivator for Black Panther in this first film, and it's a pretty obvious guess that whoever axes Black Panther's old man is going to be our primary villain. Which would most likely be Ulysses Klaw, who's already confirmed to be played by Andy Serkis, in a cameo role in this summer's Avengers: Age of Ultron. While Andy Serkis has publicly stated that he's not sure if he'll reprise his role in Black Panther, it seems pretty obvious that Marvel's grooming the character to be a major Black Panther adversary.
As well, it's likely that Black Panther is going to have an extremely prominent role in the Marvel Universe, once he's been fully introduced. A new rumor points to a potential Black Panther vs Hulkbuster in a future Marvel Cinematic Universe film, which would be a pretty big showstopper. We'll see if that one comes true.
Black Panther will premiere in theaters on July 6, 2018.
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