Chadwick Boseman to Star in Yasuke as Africa’s First Samurai

Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman will produce and star as Japan’s first African samurai in the historical film, ‘Yasuke’.

Boseman gained global recognition as T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is known for portraying strong, iconic black characters in films.

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

According to legends, in the 1500s, a man of African descent was accepted as the first-ever black Samurai.

Dubbed “Yasuke” by the Japanese warlord, Oda Nobunaga, the soon-to-be-iconic samurai fought for Nobunaga’s army from 1581-1582.

The specifics of Yasuke’s origin are unclear as according to various write-ups, he could have been from Mozambique, Angola or Ethiopia.

He quickly became Nobunaga’s chief warrior and personal bodyguard before officially becoming a Samurai in 1581.

The screenplay will be written by ‘Narcos’ co-creator Doug Miro and will be produced by Erik Feig’s recently unveiled company, Picturestart.

Michael De Luca and his De Luca Productions company, Stephen L’Heureux and his Solipsist banner, and Boseman and Logan Coles’ Xception Content will co-produce.

Apart from being the titular character in ‘Black Panther’, Boseman has starred as Jackie Robinson in ‘42′, James Brown in ‘Get On Up’ and Thurgood Marshall in ‘Marshall’.

He will next star in and produce STX’s actioner ‘21 Bridges’, directed by Brian Kirk and produced by the Russo Brothers where he plays a detective hunting a pair of cop killers.