Tony Nominee Lupita Nyong'o to Star in Marvel's THE BLACK PANTHER

Variety reports that Lupita Nyong'o is in discussions to take on the role of Chad Boseman's love interest in Marvel's upcoming superhero film THE BLACK PANTHER. The standalone film is set to hit theaters on February 16, 2018.

Ryan Coogler (CREED) is set to helm the project with Kevin Feige producing. Boseman will portray T'Challa, described as "the prince of the African nation of Wakanda, who must take over the mantel after his father's murder." The character was introduced in Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War."

Lupita Nyong'o recently received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her role as 'The Girl' in ECLIPSED. The role marked her Broadway debut.

The actress was last seen in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Maz Kanata. She lends her voice to Jon Favreau's upcoming The Jungle Book as Raksha and will next be seen in Mira Nair's Queen of Katwe.

Her feature film debut in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award®, SAG Award and Spirit Award. She graduated from the Yale School of Drama, and her stage credits include Eclipsed (the Public), The Winter's Tale (Yale Rep), Uncle Vanya and The Taming of the Shrew.

The Oscar winner made her New York stage debut this fall in the NYC premiere of Danai Gurira's new drama ECLIPSED at The Public Theater.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos