According to the press release Marvel published this afternoon, it seems that two more veteran actors have been confirmed as joining the Black Panther cast. The Ryan Coogler-directed film has already begun production, and Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis will be a part of the proceedings.
Andy Serkis is an esteemed actor who works most famously with motion-capture, portraying such unforgettable roles as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trology and Caesar in the latest Planet of the Apes films. He previously appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it’s safe to assume he will be reprising the role in Black Panther.
Martin Freeman, meanwhile, appeared alongside Andy Serkis in The Hobbit trilogy as well as being known for playing John Watson in BBC’s Sherlock. He is an established part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having portrayed the Deputy Task Force Commander Everett K. Ross in Captain America: Civil War.
What their dealings with T’Challa and the world of Wakanda will be in Black Panther are as yet unclear, but they will certainly help connect the main story of the film to the larger universe. Marvel has so far released the following details about the film’s plot:
Black Panther follows T’Challa who, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King. However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T’Challa’s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.
Black Panther is set to come out on February 18, 2018 and is currently being shot in Atlanta and South Korea.
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