Djimon Hounsou Sets the Record Straight About The Black Panther Movie Rumors
Posted 12.08.10 by BrentJS
After telling io9 that he would be interested in playing Marvel's African superhero king, T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, in a live-action role, numerous comic book- and movie-themed sites starved for any news about comic book movie adaptations began to run articles saying that actor Djimon Hounsou was pursuing the part in The Black Panther movie, which at this time is only being considered by Marvel and is not a greenlit production. In a recent interview with MovieWeb to promote his new movie, Julie Taymor's The Tempest, Hounsou, who gave voice to the character in BET's short-lived The Black Panther animated series, said that he was "a little bit floored" by the rumors of a Black Panther movie that sprang up after his statements to io9 and attempted to set the record straight about his knowledge of Marvel's plans for the character.
Ok, here it is for the record. I don't know what is going on with it. It's ... you know, this is all news to me. It is true that I have said certain things about it some time ago and that I would love to play the Black Panther. Also the opportunity came to do the voice over for the animation so I did that, maybe in the hopes that one-day they would finally get around to doing a movie. We have so many super heroes, but none that really defines the African American. I thought it could definitely happen and I have tried to push that envelope before.
When pressed further about whether he knows if Marvel plans to make a live-action Black Panther feature, Hounsou said that he was unsure and thought that maybe the character would pop up in Marvel's super-team movie, The Avengers, instead [which is a distinct possibility because an area in Africa was highlighted as a hot spot for superhuman activity on a map in Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) office in Iron Man 2].
Well, that is one thing I don't know because I have to catch up with my agent at CAA and my manager to find out. I do feel that maybe the talk has to do with the The Avengers and having Black Panther appear in that. But I haven't been approached.
And, before any of you fanboys out there get overly excited and think that Hounsou's statements mean that Black Panther will be appearing in The Avengers, Hounsou said that he has never read a script for the movie and even admitted that he doesn't know who is direcing it (that would be Joss Whedon, Mr. Hounsou).