While they’re happy to talk up their upcoming sequels to the likes of “Thor,” “Iron Man” and “Captain America”, Marvel has been keeping fairly quiet about which of the characters that haven’t been adapted for the screen yet will be the ones to fill the two “open slots” in their schedule.
Will it be already announced projects in development like “Doctor Strange,” “Ant-Man,” or “Guardians of the Galaxy”? Well Latino Review posted a report yesterday that indicates it just might be something else entirely – Black Panther.
In the comics, ‘Black Panther’ is the name given to royal leader of the fictional African nation Wakanda – in this case a wealthy prince, brilliant scientist and highly skilled warrior named T’Challa.
His nemesis is the physicist Ulysses Klaw who murdered his father to gain access to the precious deposits of vibranium, the rare and precious metal that makes up Captain America’s shield. In pop culture, ‘Panther’ is a character widely regarded as the first major black superhero.
Documentarian Mark Bailey (“Ghosts of Abu Ghraib”) was hired a while back to pen the script, an unusual choice though the character has always been one with plenty of social commentary thrown in. Plotlines in the comic had him visiting Rudyarda (an Apartheid-ruled South Africa-esque fictional nation), and clashing with the Ku Klux Klan in the American South.
Neither Marvel or Disney have confirmed (or denied) the reports thus far. The character fought as part of The Avengers in the comics so when that film’s sequel goes into production, there might be one more cast member onboard.
Casting suggestions already floating around include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie and David Oyelowo.
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