Forest Whitaker Joins Marvel's Black Panther Movie

Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker will appear in Marvel's Black Panther movie, the film studio has announced. In a statement, Marvel confirmed Whitaker's involvement, explaining that he will play the character Zuri, described as an "elder statesman in Wakanda."

In the same announcement, Marvel also confirmed that Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario), Winston Duke (Person of Interest), and Florence Kasumba (Captain America: Civil War) have joined the cast as well.

Black Panther is directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) and also stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa and Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger. Lupita Nyong'o (Star Wars) plays Nakia and Danai Guira (The Walking Dead) will play Okoye. Both are members of the Dora Milaje, a team of all-female bodyguards.

Kasumba's character, Ayo, is also a member of the Dora Milaje; you might remember that she played the same role in Captain America: Civil War. Kaluuya plays W'Kbai, who is described by Marvel as a "confidant" of T'Challa. For his part, Duke plays M'Baku, a leader of a rival Wakanda tribe.

Black Panther comes to theaters on February 16, 2018.

In a recent interview, Boseman explained that Black Panther was a different hero to the fast-talking, quip-laden likes of Iron Man or Ant-Man, and this would influence the film. "For me, most of the time the darker superhero movies are the ones that I gravitate towards, that I love the most," he said. "I'm glad that the tone of [Black Panther] may be a little grittier."