British actor Damson Idris is having a moment. Having spent six seasons on the FX drama “Snowfall,” with that series in the rear-view mirror, he’s ready to break out into movies in a big way. And Hollywood is more than happy to have him. Take “F1,” the big summer Formula One racing blockbuster from “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski: Idris is the second lead co-star next to a little-known actor named Brad Pitt (read our review).
Suffice it to say, Idris is poised to break out big, and F1” is just the beginning. To that end, rumors surfaced earlier this year that Marvel is looking to recast “Black Panther” and or include a multiverse version of the character T’Challa in the upcoming “Avengers: Secret Wars” movie, which is expected to have a lot of multiverse/alternative versions of beloved characters.
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So, with “F1” out in the world and Idris doing press, the actor was asked about these Marvel rumors on the “Today” show.
“There’s some speculation out there in the universe that you could be cast as the next Black Panther,” “Today” show co-anchor Craig Melvin said. “Have you had any conversations about that? Yes or no?”
Idris groaned and response and then finally blurted out, “Yes-no!,” trying to side-step the question with some humor.
Melvin countered, “By the way, the yes-no means yes,” to which Idris replied, “Uh, it could mean no!”
But “it probably means yes,” Melvin teased, adding the follow-up question, “If they asked, would you say yes?”
Without hesitation, Idris confirmed with a big “Yes.” And if you watch the exchange, it appears that the 33-year-old up-and-coming actor has at least had some conversations with Marvel about something.
Rumors about a “Black Panther” recasting happened earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, Idris found himself in the middle of a social media squabble when he responded to a user on Twitter who claimed Idris had already turned down the Black Panther role.
“Yes, sir. I turned down 007, A co-lead film with Daniel Day-Lewis and an Eddie Murphy biopic too 🙃,” Idris replied sarcastically in a since-deleted Twitter post.
So far, there’s no “Black Panther 3” on the Marvel docket, but director Ryan Coogler, fresh off “Sinners,” has admitted he’s working on it and would like to cast Denzel Washington in a villain role.
Marvel recently revealed that they would have four theatrical releases in 2028, and speculation has already started that “Black Panther 3” could be one of those films. Either way, watch the clip with Idris below.
Damson Idris answers yes to being the next Black Panther. But no word on if it's T'Challa or an adult Toussaint. #RecastTChalla pic.twitter.com/0tnHzdO2vu
— ChillMonger (@ChillMongerr) June 18, 2025
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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