Marvel is certainly getting aggressive in its casting of the new TV series Inhumans, and for good reason — the two-hour premiere hits IMAX screens in about six months prior to heading to television. The latest news is that Hell On Wheels star Anson Mount has been signed to portray Black Bolt, the King Of The Inhumans.
Intriguing about the character is the fact that he doesn't speak. Not that he's mute, it's just that even a whisper will unleash a sonic wave that could level an entire city. To avoid this, he has mentally trained himself not to speak — even while asleep — and communicates with others through a spokesperson or sign language. We are, however, willing to bet he'll have something to say in glorious IMAX.
This quality of the character certainly presents a challenge to the actor playing him, though. Showrunner and executive producer Scott Buck comments, "Black Bolt is a character whose deep complexity must be conveyed without uttering a single word, and I'm very excited to have Anson on board to bring him to life."
Executive producer Jeph Loeb seems to believe the actor is up to this particular aspect of Black Bolt: “Anson loves the challenge of playing a character who will only communicate silently. His enthusiasm mixed with his imposing, almost regal persona, made it easy to see why he is our Black Bolt.”
Back in 2014, Mount spoke to Paste Magazine about his role in the film Supremacy, and the fact that he had to convey a certain "stillness" to the character. His response seems like it could be applicable to aspects of Black Bolt as well.
"As you gain more and more presence as an actor, you start to realize that the best acting is no acting," he said. "It’s a really dangerous thing, and it’s not really hitting it right on the head. It’s not that you trust that you can do less, you can actually do more. What you learn is that you need to project that less."
Recently Game Of Thrones actor Iwan Rheon was cast in the role of Black Bolt's brother, Maximus, dedicated to his people but desiring to sit on the Inhumans throne himself.