Exclusive: With Marvel Studios set to begin production on a new movie this fall in Australia, casting is already gearing up.
The first character we learned of is a “wise, old statesman,” who is “the leader of his people.” The studio is searching for an Asian actor between the ages of 40 & 60.
The second character is “one of the leader’s most skilled warriors.” The studio is searching for a female Asian actress, in her 30s or 40s.
Now while we don’t know exactly which movie these breakdowns are for, our best guess is ‘Black Panther 2’ or ‘Shang-Chi.’
‘Black Panther 2′ best fits the profile of the Australia movie, as the trades have said production would begin at the end of this year/early next year. Not only that, they don’t need to cast lead characters, which explains why there’s only two on the breakdown.
If these breakdowns are for ‘Black Panther 2’ then it’s possible the first character is Namor. Thanks to an ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Easter egg, Namor is set up. With an offhand comment made by Okoye, there are underwater earthquakes off the coast of Wakanda in 2023. In this scenario, the female warrior could be Namor’s cousin, Namora, or Andromeda, an Atlantean who later became a member of the Defenders in the comics.
‘Shang-Chi’ is also possible, as there are rumors that it could be fast-tracked, and that it would film sometime after ‘The Eternals.’
The first breakdown could be for The Mandarin, a character who Kevin Feige recently revealed he has plans for. The female warrior could be one of his generals, or one of the members of the 10 Rings, the villainous group The Mandarin leads.
Ryan Coogler (‘Fruitvale Station,’ ‘Creed’) is returning to write and direct ‘Black Panther 2,’ which will see the continuation of Chadwick Boseman as the King of Wakanda.
Destin Daniel Cretton (‘Short Term 12,’ ‘The Glass Castle’) is directing ‘Shang-Chi’ with a script from Dave Callaham (‘The Expendables,’ ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’).
Jacob Tyler contributed to this article.