There’s plenty of buzz surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now, and that’s not just in regard to the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. As of late, it’s been rumored that Marvel Studios is looking to recast Black Panther’s T’Challa several years after the death of OG actor Chadwick Boseman in 2020. That hasn’t been confirmed or denied by the studio, as of this writing, but a few names have been linked to the role. Of those stars is Damson Idris, who just responded to the rumors with a funny message.
Like a number of celebrities, Damson Idris stays tuned in to what’s going on in the world of entertainment using social media. The Snowfall actor recently caught wind of the claims that he’d take on the role of Wakanda’s king and warrior. He took to X to repost a message about it, and the cheeky British actor’s response certainly got a chuckle or two out of me:
Yes sir. I turned down 007, A co-lead film with Daniel Day[-]Lewis and an Eddie Murphy biopic too. 🙃
Unless the Swarm alum is just playing coy and trying to misdirect fans, it seems likely that he hasn’t truly been in the mix for such a major role within the MCU. If he was, it’s likely that he wouldn’t actually say anything at all and would instead opt to remain mum. Disney’s superhero-centric entertainment company is, however, very stringent when it comes to actors discussing details before anything is officially announced. So I don’t know about any of you, but I’m definitely taking the leading man’s comments as a joke and nothing more.
It’s not wild to think that Marvel Studios would be interested in an actor like Damson Idris, though. He truly broke through with his role as Franklin Saint on Snowfall, and the Commuter alum has steadily been racking up major acting credits. He’s also set to have a major role in one of the biggest films on the 2025 movie schedule – F1. Joseph Kosinski’s Formula 1 racing drama sees Idris rub shoulders with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and other major stars. Idris is certainly on the rise and, as a fan, I love to see it.
When it comes to the chatter involving the late T’Challa, it’s rumored that a new version of the hero will debut in the upcoming Marvel movies Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. And, from there, that character would serve as the lead in the upcoming third Black Panther film, which will seemingly be overseen by director Ryan Coogler again. There are still a number of questions regarding this claim, including how T’Challa’s son, Toussaint (who’s actually named after his dad) may play into all of this.
Every bit of that information should be taken with a massive grain of salt at this point but, since the MCU is in the middle of the Multiverse Saga, it is possible that a variant of the beloved T’Challa could show up at some point. However, for right now, it would just seem that we shouldn’t expect Damson Idris to be the one wearing the costume should all that come to pass. In the meantime, I’ll just be sitting here manifesting that Daniel Day-Lewis film and Eddie Murphy biopic for him.
Follow Black Panther’s journey by streaming the Marvel movies in order with a Disney+ subscription. Also, check out Damson Idris when F1 opens in U.S. theaters on June 27.
