Godzilla Vs. Kong Looks To Be Adding A Black Panther Star

Okoye smiling in Black Panther

If there's one thing that both studios and audiences love, it's cinematic universes. The MCU introduced serialized storytelling to the mainstream, and now everyone is trying to get in on the action. In addition to the DCEU and X-Men franchises, Warner Bros. has been slowly building its MonsterVerse. With giant creatures and big budgets, the MonsterVerse has seen success with both Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island. Following the upcoming blockbuster Godzilla: King of Monsters, the behemoth franchise will go full crossover with Godzilla Vs Kong. The cast for that movie has slowly been assembling, and now it looks like none other than Walking Dead and Black Panther actress Danai Gurira may be stepping into the action packed project.

New reports indicate that Danai Gurira is currently circling a mysterious role in Godzilla Vs Kong. This seems like a great potential casting decision for Warner Bros., as Gurira has basically become a household name in the past year. While Walking Dead fans adore her katana wielding Michonne, she found a huge audience with the releases of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. Her character Okoye has quickly become a fan favorite in the MCU, and Gurira would be a major draw for Godzilla Vs. Kong when it arrives in 2020.

Deadline's report of the possible casting are sure to excite all the Danai Gurira fans out there, especially since it'll likely be another action-packed movie. The 40 year old actress has been a badass warrior as both Michonne and Okoye, so she's the perfect candidate to navigate through a conflict between two terrifying creatures.

Danai Gurira's potential involvement in Godzilla Vs. Kong may also give pause to fans of The Walking Dead. Shooting the AMC apocalyptic drama is long and difficult, so it's hard to fit in other film projects. Gurira managed to work on TWD and her Marvel movies because they both film in Atlanta, with the actress sometimes working on both in the same day. But it's unclear where Godzilla Vs Kong would shoot or for how long. If she's going to be away for months, it could mean disastrous things for her character. And with Maggie and even Rick taking smaller roles in its upcoming season, TWD may be in for serious trouble in the future.

Much of Godzilla Vs. Kong is a mystery, mostly because Godzilla: King of Monsters hasn't even hit theaters yet. King of Monsters will debut Stranger Things standout Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell, a character that will also appear in GvK. Deadpool 2 breakout Julian Dennison will also round out the cast, and possibly work alongside Danai Gurira. With so many kids and giant monsters running around, someone strong like Gurira is going to be needed to keep it all together. We'll just have to wait for an official confirmation of her involvement.

You can catch Danai Gurira in The Walking Dead when it returns in the fall, and in the home release of both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.