It’s safe to say that superhero fans are anxious to see how Marvel Studios decides to reboot the X-Men franchise. This has been especially evidenced by the fact that may are already fan casting the characters. However, there have also been a number of actors who have expressed a desire to play Marvel’s famous mutants, including Aquaman star Jason Momoa, who wants to play Wolverine. Now, Moonlight’s Janelle Monae has confirmed that she’d love to play fan-favorite Storm in a Black Panther film:
I definitely have thrown it out there. One of my dreams has always been to play Storm. I don’t know if she comes in Black Panther, but it would be a dream to have her in it. I don’t know where they are with that. A lot of women have played Storm and they’ve done an exceptional job, and I would love to be in that line of artists and get to do Storm justice.
Based on her comments to Empire, it sounds like Janelle Monae would be open to playing Storm in either a Black Panther or X-Men film. The trade also mentions that Monae even pitched the idea of a Black Panther appearance to some of the film’s cast members.
Janelle Monae’s star has been rising over the past several years, and the singer/songwriter has been steadily creating a diverse body of work when it comes to her acting career. She rose to acting prominence with roles in Best Picture winner Moonlight and the acclaimed Hidden Figures, and she’s now diving into other kinds of projects like Amazon thriller Homecoming and upcoming horror film Antebellum. With this, a superhero role may be on the horizon, and Storm could be a prime option for her.
When or how Ororo Munroe will play into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still a mystery at this point. The X-Men aren’t expected to appear in the massive franchise until at least MCU Phase 5. With this, it could be a little while before Marvel Studios makes any real movement on the project.
Still, Janelle Monae does bring up a great point that Storm could enter the MCU through either the X-Men or Black Panther. In the comics, Monroe is the love of T’Challa’s life and adding her to the franchise would be interesting since the king of Wakanda already has a love in Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia. Regardless, Marvel Studios isn’t opposed to deviating from the comics, so there could be some changes made.
Fans have had somewhat mixed feelings about both Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp’s performances as Storm. So it would be nice to see Marvel deliver a newer interpretation that’s a bit closer to her comic book counterpart. We’ll see if Janelle Monae’s desire for the role helps her to land it.
Would you like to see Janelle Monae play Storm? Let us know in the comments below?
