Chadwick Boseman is slated to play the lead in the upcoming film, Black Panther, but it’s not what you think.
Boseman is not playing Huey P. Newton or Bobby Seale, the 1960s era revolutionary group, the Black Panther Party (for Self Defense) that was one of the most feared organizations in U.S. history. Instead, Boseman was introduced as the first African-American superhero with a solo film.
Boseman, 37, the man who skyrocketed to fame for playing James Brown in the critically-acclaimed biopic Get On Up, is in the midst of a career year. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based actor was introduced during the Marvel Studios fan event at The El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles as the first African-American superhero in cinematic history. Black Panther is slated to premiere in 2017.
Ironically, the Marvel comic hero Black Panther was created in 1966, just months before the founding of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, Calif.
Boseman will play T’Challa, the head of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, in the movie, which is scheduled to be released Nov. 3, 2017. The Black Panther — created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — was a long-serving member of the Avengers who also enjoyed multiple critically acclaimed solo runs throughout his 48-year history.
The Howard University graduate joins other characters in the Marvel cinematic universe, but he is the first to get his own standalone film.
Moreover, Boseman has also signed a five-film deal with Marvel that begins with his character starring in the upcoming 2016 Captain America: Civil War. The deal will continue through the publisher’s unveiled Phase 3 lineup.
Take a look at Twitter reactions to the unveiling of Marvel’s first-ever movie adaptation of a black superhero.
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