Audiences may be most familiar with Michael K. Williams for his roles in TV dramas like The Wire or Boardwalk Empire, but the actor is getting his first shot as an action hero in the upcoming Assassin's Creed live action adaptation. He's playing Moussa, a prisoner of the corporation Abstergo alongside Michael Fassbender's lead Callum Lynch, and is granted the voodoo assassin skills of his ancestor, Baptiste. It's a role the actor is understandably excited about, and it seems like it may lead to him joining a different mammoth sized franchise that rhymes with Sharvel. Yep, Williams has reportedly been approached for a Marvel movie.
Collider had the chance to speak with Michael K. Williams to discuss all things Assassin's Creed, but the actor threw in an almost casual statement of being approached for a Marvel movie right. This is William's first big action role, and Collider asked what his biggest draw to the project was. It boiled down to impressing his son, but Williams showed a lot of excitement in keeping the action train rolling.
You know, I think the main thing was I looked at this as my opportunity to be like an action hero. So that was kinda cool for me, my son is all excited. It's off my bucket-list, it's like 'Okay I gave you guys your action hero,' they want me to be a Marvel comic character but I don't think that's going to happen. This is my take on an action hero so I'm really psyched about that.
The "they" who wants him to be a Marvel character is unclear. It could be Fox approaching him for something in an X-Men movie, Marvel Studios for any of the dozens of movies they are doing, or perhaps an appearance in a Netflix series. Michael K. Williams admittedly doesn't think he'll end up doing it, but we'll have to wait and see for any more definitive news to come out. Williams is a big talent, so he'd be well received in any potential Marvel project.
It's pretty impossible to nail down which of the many Marvel projects Michael K. Williams was approached for, but Collider did make a joke about running a Black Panther rumor for him to impress his son, and Williams admitted that was the one his kid wanted the most. So, there'd be a good incentive for Williams to be in Black Panther, which is already building a stellar cast. That movie isn't scheduled for release until February 2018, so there may still be time for Williams to get a role, which is something he expressed an interest in a while back.
Before that, though, you'll be able to see Michael K. Williams in Assassin's Creed, which might finally break the video game movie curse. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel and hits theaters on December 21, 2016.
