Ryan Coogler’s upcoming Black Panther solo movie is shaping up to be “something special.”
That’s according to newcomer Sterling K. Brown, who joined Marvel’s 2018 spinoff as a mystery character from T’Challa’s past. Pointing to the film’s remarkably diverse cast – one headlined by Civil War star Chadwick Boseman and the would-be king of Wakanda – coupled with the pedigree of Ryan Coogler himself, Brown gushed about all things Black Panther during a post-Golden Globes interview with The Undefeated (via Screen Rant).
After impressive performances in This Is Us and particularly The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Brown is now bound for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he’ll star opposite industry heavyweights Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, and many, many more. Here, the Emmy winner discusses how he became attached to Black Panther, not to mention his recent collaboration with the film’s co-writer, Joe Robert Cole.
“I just worked with Chad on a film called Marshall, about Thurgood Marshall. He’s such a talented human being and a deep soul. He’s the perfect personality to fully inhabit T’Challa. So, to rejoin him, and to work with Academy Award winners … to be with Michael B. Jordan after the incredible work he’s done in Creed. Danai Gurira … Forest Whitaker — like, it’s embarrassing. I’m good at what I do — I don’t try to do any sort of false modesty — but, ‘Wow! I get to be with all of you people!?!’
I think Ryan Coogler is one of the great storytellers that we have working today. The meeting I had with Nate Moore before I even got to chance to audition for Panther, and to see the level of knowledge, and just passion that he has for the whole universe, and for this project in particular … it’s in such good hands. I worked with Joe Robert Cole — he was one of our writers on The People vs. O.J. who co-writes with Ryan Coogler [on Panther]. Like, everyone is so good at what they do.
“I was having this conversation with Nate and he’s saying that Ryan was asking him, ‘So how many white people are going to be in this thing?’ And Nate was like, ‘Well, it’s going to take place in Wakanda, so probably it will be majority African.’ He’s like, ‘Can we do that? Can we do that?” And he’s like, ‘Well, that’s the world, and that’s what we’re gonna do.’”
Black Panther, also starring Creed‘s Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, and Florence Kasumba, has been slated for February 16, 2018. It’s the final of Marvel’s solo movies to arrive before Joe and Anthony Russo stage Avengers: Infinity War on May 4 of that same year.