The King of Wakanda Will Play Japan’s First Black Samurai in an Upcoming Film

May 8, 2019

Yasuke, the first African samurai in Japanese history, will be played by King T’challa himself in an upcoming movie.

Chadwick Boseman, who recently played Black Panther in “Avengers: Endgame,” has been cast as the legendary samurai warrior from 16th century Japan, according to Deadline.

Believed to be the first non-Japanese Samurai, Yasuke served under Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in the late 1500s.

Based on historical accounts, Yasuke was a Muslim who was brought to Japan from Portuguese Mozambique as a slave to Jesuit missionaries.

As the first black person to arrive in Japan, Yasuke caught the attention and interest of Nobunaga. Eventually earning Nobunaga’s friendship and respect, Yasuke was soon awarded the title of samurai.

The upcoming film adaptation will be co-produced by Erik Feig’s Picturestart, Mike De Luca’s De Luca Productions, Stephen L’Heureux’s Solipsist, Logan Coles’ X●ception Content, and Boseman.

Doug Miro, who co-created the hit Netflix series Narcos, will pen the script for the project.

“The legend of Yasuke is one of history’s best-kept secrets, the only person of non-Asian origin to become a Samurai,” Boseman was quoted as saying. “That’s not just an action movie, that’s a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it.”

Featured image via Instagram/chadwickboseman (left) and / mwinuko_works (right)

Share this Article