Floor8.com Logo

Chadwick Boseman to Play First African Samurai Yasuke in Upcoming Film

By Hannah Wigandt

CinemaCon 2019 - The State of the Industry: Past, Present and Future and STXfilms Presentation
CinemaCon 2019 - The State of the Industry: Past, Present and Future and STXfilms Presentation / Matt Winkelmeyer

Chadwick Boseman is continuing to break down barriers. Not only did he play the first African American superhero in a Marvel standalone film with Black Panther, but now he's set to portray the first African samurai, Yasuke.

According to Deadline, the upcoming film will center around Yasuke, the first black person to enter Japan while he was a slave, who caught the attention of Nobunaga, a warlord seeking to take control of the country. Yasuke and Nobunaga formed a friendship, leading up to Nobunaga making Yasuke a samurai.

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

Boseman is no stranger to biopics either, as he played Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. He will also reprise his role as Wakanda's king in Black Panther 2, debuting in 2021.