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Chadwick Boseman to play first African samurai in period action film
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Actor Chadwick Boseman attends The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 Women In Entertainment at Milk Studios, in Los Angeles, California, on December 5, 2018. (AFP/Valerie Macon)
The "Black Panther" star will play the first black samurai to serve a warlord in Japan.
Boseman will play the role of Yasuke, a samurai of African origin who fought under a Japanese warlord, Oda Nobunaga, during the 1580s.
The first black man to set foot on Japanese soil, Yasuke was a native of Africa -- his exact origins are unknown -- who was brought to Japan as a slave to Jesuit missionaries. He caught the interest of Nobunaga, a warlord seeking to unite a fractured Japan under his rule and entered his service. Yasuke eventually earned Nobunaga's friendship, respect and the honors and title of 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. That's not just an action movie, that's a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it," said Boseman in a statement.
Read also: Chadwick Boseman to star in upcoming Spike Lee film for Netflix
Doug Miro ("Narcos") is penning the screenplay for the project.
Erik Feig's Picturestart will produce along with Mike De Luca under his De Luca Productions banner, Stephen L'Heureux and his Solipsist banner, Logan Coles' Xception Content and Boseman.
Boseman headlined "Black Panther" in 2018, and reprised the role in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." He will shortly be seen in action thriller "21 Bridges," set to release this summer.
