The Inhumans: Vin Diesel Unlikely To Play Black Bolt Following Shift To TV

Those holding out hope for Vin Diesel to take up the mantle of Black Bolt in Marvel’s The Inhumans were dealt a blow when the studio announced plans to repackage the gestating project into an eight-part TV series on ABC. Neither Diesel nor Marvel have announced anything official, of course, but if chances were slim before, you’d have to assume said deal is now hanging by a thread.

James Gunn echoed that thought process while soliciting questions during a Facebook Q&A (via Comic Book.com), stating in no uncertain terms that Vin Diesel’s interest in the project has likely waned now that The Inhumans will be brought to life as an ABC series, as opposed to a full-blown feature film as originally intended.

Per Facebook: “The Inhumans is going to be a TV show,” Gunn told a fan during a Q&A on Facebook this week. “Unless Vin wants to take a huge pay cut and sign up to do a TV show it seems unlikely.”

It’s by no means an official confirmation, but it’s hard to argue against Gunn’s logic. Initially, Vin Diesel became attached to the part of Black Bolt for his physicality, and given the character’s powers stifle his ability to speak, Diesel could draw upon his experience of playing Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Sadly, the fact that The Inhumans is bound for television leads us to believe that an A-lister of Diesel’s calibre will ultimately favor bankable franchises in the vein of Fast and Furious, The Last Witch Hunter and the rejuvenated xXx action series.

When it premieres late next year, The Inhumans will boast “cinema-quality visual effects,” but aside from that, there are precious few details available at the moment. While we wait for more info, tell us, what do you make of James Gunn’s comments regarding Black Bolt? Do you want to see Diesel play the part? Sound off below and give us your thoughts!