Black Panther in FF?

When the first FANTASTIC FOUR proved a minor hit, director Tim Story started giving consideration to the superhero team’s gallery of rogues and other peripheral characters in case of sequel. He ended up getting his silver-coated wish, but who else was on his plate (and potentially in line for a third)?

Story reveals that he had Marvel hero Black Panther on his short list: “I’ve got to tell you, to get the ‘Fantastic Four’ and turn it into a franchise, the first thing I thought was, ‘Will I get the Silver Surfer? Or someone like [the superhero] Black Panther, who was introduced in their book, get Djimon Hounsou and go do it?’ But there are so many other great villains and stories — I feel like I hit the jackpot.”

I’d pick Taye Diggs for the part myself… but it’s all wishful thinking until FF: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER fills the Baxter Building with enough cash to justify the heroes making another big-screen adventure.

Wesley Snipes, John Singleton and David Goyer were all previously interested in bringing the Panther to theaters for a solo adventure. For those unfamiliar with the Marvel character, the Black Panther is T’Challa, the chieftain of a technologically-advanced African nation called Wakanda. T’Challa is a politician by day and a crimefighter at night, donning the ceremonial black outfit and battling evil.