'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman teams up with Russo Brothers for non-Marvel thriller '17 Bridges'
Slipping into his sleek mid-night blue 'Black Panther' costume, Marvel star Chadwick Boseman has not only proven his acting chops but also has displayed a flair for action - all the elements that might come handy when the 40-year-old actor takes on his next role in, '17 Bridges'. An action thriller from the STXfilms, the project is supposed to see the Wakandan hero in a new avatar while teaming up with his old creatives, director duo Joe and Anthony Russo.
The Russo brothers are attached to produce the film, under their AGBO banner, along with lead star Boseman (who is experimenting with new creative roles behind the scenes as well) and the actor's writing and producing partner Logan Coles. In addition, Mike Larocca is associated with the project as the executive producer while veteran TV director Brian Kirk, of fame 'Game of Thrones' and 'Luther', helms the movie.
Writer Adam Mervis ('The Philly Kid') is in charge of the script, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. In the thriller, Boseman plays a disgraced NYPD detective, who is given a second chance at redemption. After a manhunt begins in the city for a cop killer, Boseman's character in '17 Bridges' is put to test with his skills under extreme scrutiny.
While the action part of the movie is something we expect the actor to have naturally mastered - especially after he twice reprised his Black Panther role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - it would be interesting to see what thrilling elements he brings in to the mix. Since playing King T'Challa in the MCU blockbuster, the actor has mostly earned rave reviews, except for a recent criticism over his Black-Panther style salute.
"I thought it was funny. If I was in the military and I did this every day, I'm not going to do it the same every time," Boseman clarified. "Sometimes it's more pedestrian. So that person, whoever I was doing it to at that moment, caught a casual one. Three minutes before that, I probably did one that was fully yes!"
The movie with its unique voice and representation has undoubtedly become a pop culture phenomenon and rightly so - considering the amount of research that has gone behind portraying each and every scene.
"We were doing the scene in the throne room, and Ryan came to me and was basically like, 'We need some way for the Dora Milaje, the king's guard, to sort of salute you'," Boseman said earlier recalling the origin of the salute. "We had been talking about these sort of poses that have ancient meanings. This was sort of a like an Egyptian pharaoh. It was that idea – and it means a lot of different things, too."