Skip to main content

Marvel’s Black Panther casts yet another heavy hitter, this one as its bad guy

michael b jordan marvels black panther casting creed office
MGM
The cast of Marvel’s Black Panther now packs extra punch. Creed star Michael B. Jordan has reportedly signed on, THR reported Friday.

Although moviegoers cheered for Jordan’s character as he pursued his boxing dreams in last fall’s Rocky spinoff, they may be rooting against him in Black Panther; at least one source tells THR that he’ll play the film’s villain. Marvel hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but if he is indeed stirring up trouble as a bad guy, he’ll face off against the Wakanda warrior king, T’Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman), also known as Black Panther.

The African superhero recently made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, which has already brought in $788.23 million since its May 6 opening, according to Box Office Mojo data. Black Panther will be the character’s first stand-alone film, and the studio is clearly working to surround him with a strong cast. Just a day before word of Jordan’s casting broke, it was reported that Oscar winner and Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Lupita Nyong’o is in talks to play the female lead.

By joining the cast, Jordan has teamed up yet again with director Ryan Coogler. Black Panther marks their third collaboration; the two previously worked together on both Creed and the 2013 biographical drama Fruitvale Station. Evidently, they enjoy joining forces, and since they do it well, we’re all for i, too.

Jordan is no Marvel newbie. He starred as the Human Torch in The Fantastic Four last year and is reportedly a huge comic book fan. The actor is even co-writing a series called North that may ultimately be adapted for the screen, with him in the starring role.

Black Panther is expected to begin production next year and slated to hit theaters on February 18, 2018.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
The 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now
A woman points a gun and stares.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with nearly 250 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.

Zack Snyder is back in the top 10 with Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver, the second film in his space opera series. Despite Snyder's popularity, the new Rebel Moon film could not unseat What Jennifer Did, which is the No. 1 movie for the second straight week. New additions to the top 10 include the comedy Knocked Up at No. 8 and the action movie Anna at No. 2. Below, we've listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from April 15 to April 21, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Read more
Deadpool & Wolverine: Everything we know about the film formerly known as Deadpool 3
Deadpool and Wolverine stand together in Deadpool & Wolverine.

In retrospect, we should have suspected that Deadpool & Wolverine wouldn't keep its most famous co-star out of the title. In 2022, Ryan Reynolds coaxed Hugh Jackman into reprising his role as Wolverine for the first time since 2017's Logan. Once that happened, the name Deadpool 3 didn't fully convey how monumental this film would be.

So Marvel Studios has officially retitled it as Deadpool & Wolverine. Jackman has also humorously rebranded the film as Wolverine & [expletive], which would make this R-rated flick a lot harder to market!

Read more
5 years ago, Game of Thrones aired its last great episode. Here’s why it still holds up
Jamie knights Brienne in episode 2 of Game of Thrones season 8.

Many fans would likely agree that Game of Thrones went out not with a bang, but a profound whimper. After dominating pop culture for nearly 10 years, the hit HBO series concluded with a trio of episodes that were universally reviled by both fans and critics alike. The show's lackluster, ham-fisted finale led to its popularity seemingly vanishing into thin air. In the five years since it aired, time hasn't been kind to Game of Thrones season 8.

To this day, many people still discuss the series' final season with a mix of bitterness and disbelief, and those fans won't find any disagreement about the quality of Game of Thrones' last few chapters here. As disappointing as its eighth season remains, though, April 21 marked the five-year anniversary of its noteworthy second episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The fan-favorite installment ranks not only as its season's best chapter, but also as the last great episode that Game of Thrones ever produced.

Read more