Back in 2015 when Black Panther was still in its pre-production phase, a report did the rounds that Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, The Crow) was up for the role of King T'Chaka. When John Kani ultimately landed the part this was dismissed as just another rumor, but it turns out there was an element of truth to it.
While he was never actually in contention for the role, Hudson has now revealed that he did have a conversation about possibly playing T'Challa's father with Marvel Studios Co-President Louis D'Esposito, but was told that the part "was too small" for him, and that something more substantial would come up eventually.
The actor says he's still in contact with D'Esposito, and drops him a text every so often to see if there's anything in the works.
Hudson is a big comic book fan and sounds eager to join the MCU in some capacity. Perhaps a role in Ryan Coogler's upcoming Black Panther sequel is a possibility? Short of that, there are plenty of other Marvel Studios projects on both the big and small screens on the horizon.
For now, fans can look forward to seeing Hudson reprise the role of Winston Zeddemore for the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.