Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Oscar for her performance in 12 Years a Slave, is in negotiations to star opposite Chadwick Boseman in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther.
Ryan Coogler, who wrote and directed Creed, is helming the comic book movie as well as writing the script.
Boseman and Black Panther were introduced in Captain America: Civil War, which crossed the $700 million worldwide mark in under a week and a half.
The character, whose name is T’Challa, is the warrior king of Wakanda, Marvel’s fictional African nation that is rich in an unbreakable alloy called vibranium.
N’yongo’s character has not been revealed, although she will be the Panther’s love interest.
Black Panther has a Feb. 2, 2018, release date, with production set to start in early 2017.
N’yongo last appeared as the alien Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and lent her voice for the wolf Raksha in The Jungle Book. She also is attached to star in DreamWorks’ Intelligent Life, a sci-fi drama now seeking a director, and is nominated for a Tony Award for her work in Eclipsed.
N’yongo is repped by CAA, D2 Management and Del Shaw.
