Chadwick Boseman has portrayed several historic Black men throughout his acting career, and now he has been cast to play another with a lesser-known story.
According to Deadline, the Black Panther star will appear in a film adaptation of the tale of Yasuke, the first African to wield a sword in Japan. He was a native of Portuguese Mozambique and brought to the island country as a slave. He served as a samurai under the warlord Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century.
“The legend of Yasuke is one of history’s best-kept secrets, the only person of non-Asian origin to become a Samurai,” Boseman told Deadline. “That’s not just an action movie, that’s a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it.”
The screenplay will be written by Doug Miro, a co-creator of Netflix’s hit series Narcos. Boseman and Logan Coles’ company X●ception Content will produce along with Erik Feig’s Picturestart and Mike De Luca’s self-named production banner.
There are currently no other casting details or a scheduled release date.
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