With the film expected to start shooting early next year, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Marvel’s Black Panther had all but finished up its casting process. Well, think again, because Variety is reporting that the studio has just added Person of Interest actor Winston Duke to the roster, with the relative newcomer set to play the villainous Man-Ape.
Duke joins Michael B. Jordan as the film’s other antagonist, Erik Killmonger, along with star Chadwick Boseman. They’ll be surrounded by a strong supporting cast which consists of Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira, not to mention a rumored Andy Serkis. Joining Black Panther is a pretty big step for Duke, as he’s yet to make his feature film debut and doing so in a Marvel movie with what’s described as a “key role” will no doubt be a huge deal for his career.
For those unfamiliar with the character, Man-Ape is said to be one of Wakanda’s greatest warriors but finds himself on the wrong side of Black Panther when he tries to “overthrow him as ruler of the nation.” After killing a rare white gorilla and eating its flesh, the Man-Ape gains “superhuman strength, speed and stamina.”
Behind the camera for the “dark and gritty” Black Panther is Ryan Coogler, and with Duke now on board, it looks like most of the main roles are filled. We still expect to hear about some familiar MCU characters showing up in the movie, but there shouldn’t be too many new parts left to cast before filming gets underway in early 2017.