Black Panther adds Winston Duke as villain M’Baku

Creed director Ryan Coogler is currently busy in pre-production for Black Panther, Marvel Studios’ first solo black superhero movie, and it looks as though an important piece in the casting jigsaw has been found: Winston Duke is set to play the film’s main baddie, according to Variety.

Duke, best known for his work on Jonathan Nolan’s sci-fi TV show Person Of Interest, is set to play the villainous M’Baku, otherwise known as Man-Ape. In the original Marvel comics, M’Baku is in frequent conflict with the T’Challa, gaining superhuman strength from eating the flesh of a sacred gorilla. As you do.

Coogler has already assembled a cast of some fortitude: alongside Chadwick Boseman in the title role, there is also Lupita Nyong’o, The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira, and frequent Coogler collaborator Michael B. Jordan.

Filming is due to begin early in the new year on what will be the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, aiming towards a February 2018 release date (arriving shortly before Avengers: Infinity War).

Slightly interesting sidenote: as we learnt from Captain America: Civil War’s commentary, the iconic Black Panther suit is likely to be entirely painted over in CGI. Who knew?