Well, it looks like Marvel‘s Black Panther has traded one Star Wars actor for another: in the wake of erroneous reports that John Boyega would be joining the cast of Ryan Coogler’s forthcoming movie about the Vibranium-clawed hero from Wakanda, it looks as though Forest Whitaker, Rogue One’s Saw Gererra, will join the already stacked cast. Whitaker will be playing Zuri, an elder statesman in Wakanda, who served Black Panther and his father before him.

In addition to Whitaker’s role, Marvel.com officially announced that Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, and Florence Kasumba would also be joining the superstar cast that already includes Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, ruler of Wakanda; Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger; Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia; and Danai Gurira as Okoye. Both Nyong’o and Gurira will be portraying members of the Dora Milaje, a.k.a. Black Panther’s badass, all-female personal bodyguards.

So where does Forest Whitaker fit into this picture? Well, we know that he will be playing the role of a trusted advisor who counseled T’Chaka, Wakanda’s previous king before T’Challa, but does this mean he will be central to a present-day plot, or will he merely show up as an aside in some flashback. While there are reasons to argue for both, the only thing that we can say for sure is that we are too excited about this development and wish the movie would get here sooner than 2018.

What do you guys make of this news? Are you excited for Whitaker’s role in Black Panther‘s film debut? Did you expect to see the veteran actor in two beloved franchises in such quick succession? Let us know on Twitter and in the comments below.

Black Panther will hit the big screen on July 6, 2018.

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Image: Lucasfilm, Disney