Even though the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t gotten underway yet, fans are pretty excited for what comes after that. And that’s perfectly understandable. After all, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Captain Marvel 2, Blade, another Avengers movie and more all on the horizon, there are a ton of exciting projects to look forward to. And that’s without even mentioning Black Panther 2.
Ever since Black Panther changed the cinematic landscape in 2018, with T’Challa’s solo effort breaking down a ton of box office records on its way to several Oscar wins, folks have been calling for another Wakandan adventure and sure enough, we’ll be getting one in Phase 5 of the MCU. It’s still early days yet for the project, but it’s indeed in early development and this weekend, we’re hearing of some interesting casting news.
Sources close to We Got This Covered – the same ones who told us that the real Mandarin would be the villain in Shang-Chi and that the Inhumans will be rebooted in Ms. Marvel, both of which we now know to be true – have informed us that Marvel have their eye on Rihanna for a role in the pic. Specifically, the part of Princess Zanda, “the ruler of the African nation of Narobia.” And given that these are the same sources who also told us the Endgame re-release post-credits scene featured the Hulk, we have no reason to doubt them when it comes to MCU intel.
From what we understand, she’s not the only one being looked at and it’s unclear if she’s been formally contacted yet, but the studio’s definitely interested in her. That being said, we’re also told that WB is still hoping to get their hands on her for the role of Poison Ivy in the DCEU and it’s unlikely she’d be able to take both gigs, so who knows what’ll happen?
If you ask us, we’d be more excited to see her as the aforementioned Batman villain, but having Rihanna in the MCU would still be something that we imagine most fans would welcome and with any luck, Marvel will be able to make it happen with Black Panther 2.
