Chadwick Boseman Tapped To Play Japan's First Non-Asian Samurai In Upcoming Historical Film
Chadwick Boseman has a history of playing real life figures in biopics, and action heavy roles like Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now he's combining the two with his new role as Yasuke, the first black samurai.
The film has been in development for a few years, and seems to be finally coming to fruition with Boseman in the lead role.
"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, according to Deadline.
"That's not just an action movie, that's a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it."
We're excited too!
I AM SOOOOOOO INCREDIBLY EXCITED!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩 https://t.co/iT9qM3Yxpp— Laura A. Grace (@Laura A. Grace) 1557396069.0
@ajplus @DEADLINE Can't wait to see this movie! #Yasuke #やすけ #弥助— ブルースカイBlue (@ブルースカイBlue) 1557316701.0
@kool_kix @ajplus @DEADLINE https://t.co/DLlo2xxzBz— Varun Khanna (@Varun Khanna) 1557269133.0
@shadowandact @chadwickboseman Yes! I’ve been waiting for this story to be told! You rock Boseman! I so enjoy how y… https://t.co/ZioFy12Bg1— Shelby (@Shelby) 1557317993.0
Chadwick Boseman as a samurai is the best idea I've heard in a long time. I'm kind of excited for this movie! https://t.co/ovnBIeouac— Angel (@Angel) 1557338612.0
Yasuke was a real person in history, living in Japan sometime in the 1500s. While solid information about his early life is missing, it's likely he was brought to Japan from Mozambique as a Portuguese slave.
At some point, Yasuke entered the service of Oda Nobunaga a powerful feudal lord of Japan. Yasuke is believed to have at least a basic knowledge of Japanese, as Nobunaga enjoyed conversations with Yasuke.
He was 6'2" tall, towering over most people at the time. It is unknown if his name is a Japanese rendering of his original name or wholly made up and given to him. Nobunaga himself claimed Yasuke had the strength of ten men.
There is plenty we know and a lot more we don't know about Yasuke's life. However, the parts we do know provide an interesting look at African and Japanese history.
So if someone asks, yeah, Yasuke was real.
This is so cool - Yasuke is one of the more famous cases from Japanese history and there are tantalizing gaps in th… https://t.co/LAyxab2imu— John Resig (@John Resig) 1557250124.0
info on the real life Yasuke: -slavers took him & sent him to India to serve the Portuguese. -ended up in Japan a… https://t.co/ZS2dEtY5XX— Kimmy Yam (@Kimmy Yam) 1557256723.0
Yasuke is "the only person of non-Asian origin to become a Samurai." Tom Cruise's version never existed. I hope thi… https://t.co/De6Ff9lfCi— Nancy Wang Yuen (@Nancy Wang Yuen) 1557269068.0
Whoa! This is amazing, excited to see this as a movie because the story is fascinating. Before any of the "histori… https://t.co/apOlM1oA3V— Riot Stellari (@Riot Stellari) 1557276944.0
I also hope that the Japanese women won't be portrayed as geishas or lotus blossoms. There are apparently Onna-Buge… https://t.co/2FshfB29iD— Nancy Wang Yuen (@Nancy Wang Yuen) 1557269570.0
There is no word on a release date or even when production will start. With the project gaining Boseman though, it's likely they will want to move forward quickly, before the popular actor's schedule starts filling up.
If you're interested in more about Yasuke, you'll have plenty more to see. While books have been written, and this film is gearing up for production, Netflix has also announced an anime very loosely based on the story of Yasuke.
Though, that one involves magic and robots, so if that's something you're looking for in a story about history's first black samurai, great!
Otherwise, keep your ears open for more information about Boseman's film as it becomes available.