Chadwick Boseman To Star In Biopic Of First African Samurai YASUKE

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Chadwick Boseman has a few exciting projects on the horizon! Aside from the obvious follow-up to last year’s Oscar-nominated Black Panther, Boseman is appearing in a new thriller called 21 Bridges later this summer as well as teaming up with Spike Lee in his next film Da 5 Bloods. Now he has another really intriguing project on his To Do list! According to Deadline, Boseman has been cast to star in Yasuke, a biopic of the first African samurai to wield a blade in Japan.

Yasuke was a native of Portuguese Mozambique who was brought to Japan as a slave of Jesuit missionaries in the 16th Century. His arrival in the lands struck the interest of Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga, who was seeking to unite the lands that were divided at the time all under his banner. Over time, Yasuke and Nobunaga developed a friendship that ultimately saw Yasuke earn the title, honor and sword of a samurai. According to the site, Yasuke will be penned by Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time writer and Narcos co-creator Doug Miro.

“The legend of Yasuke is one of history’s best kept secrets, the only person of non-Asian origin to become a Samurai,” Boseman said. “That’s not just an action movie, that’s a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it.”

I think Boseman is spot-on in referring to this story as one of history’s best kept secrets. While I’ve heard my fair share about Nobunaga and his life over the years, I don’t think I have ever once heard about Yasuke and his experiences. I am very interested in seeing how Boseman, Miro and company ultimately handle telling this story on the big screen!

What do you think? Be sure to comment below!

SOURCE: Deadline