Is Damson Idris about to suit up as the King of Wakanda? The F1 star just added more heat to the long-burning rumors that he could be the next T’Challa in Black Panther 3 — and while he’s not confirming it, he’s definitely not denying it either. Appearing on Today on Wednesday, the 33-year-old actor was asked point blank by co-anchor Craig Melvin if there was any truth to the whispers. “There’s some speculation out there in the universe that you could be cast as the next Black Panther,” Melvin said during a round of yes-or-no questions. “Have you had any conversations about that? Yes or no?”
Idris groaned — loudly — then offered a cheeky “Yes-no!” in response, doing his best to dodge the question while still giving fans just enough to latch onto. Melvin, of course, didn’t let him off the hook that easy. “By the way, the yes-no means yes,” he said with a grin, before Idris countered that it could also mean no, but nobody was buying it. And just in case fans weren’t already leaning in closer, the kicker came when Melvin asked the obvious follow-up: “If they asked, would you say yes?”
“Yes.”
Will T’Challa Be Recast?
Whispers of Marvel recasting T’Challa — a role immortalized by the late Chadwick Boseman — started swirling again earlier this year after a report has previously claimed that the studio was internally exploring their options. That marked a major shift from Marvel’s original stance in the wake of Boseman’s 2020 passing, when studio head Kevin Feige said T’Challa would not be recast in Wakanda Forever.
Fans immediately started fantasy casting, and Idris quickly rose to the top of those conversations. The British actor — known for his standout work in Snowfall and now the upcoming F1 — even found himself directly referenced in online rumors. One viral X post claimed he had already turned down the role.
Idris replied at the time with a now-deleted post dripping in sarcasm: “Yes sir. I turned down 007, A co-lead film with Daniel Day Lewis and an Eddie Murphy biopic too.” That didn’t exactly kill the rumors. If anything, it poured more vibranium on the fire.
Director Ryan Coogler has remained publicly mum about future casting decisions but has spoken openly about the emotional difficulty of moving forward after Boseman’s death, describing the moment he found out as the one “when my heart broke.” Meanwhile, Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia, recently said she doesn’t concern herself with the “recast T’Challa” discourse, emphasizing that her focus remains on honoring the legacy of the films.
F1 races into theaters on June 27.
via Collider