Anthony Mackie reveals he originally wanted to play Black Panther

Anthony Mackie has revealed he wrote letters to Marvel requesting to play Black Panther before being cast as Falcon.

Anthony, who plays Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon, in the Marvel films, admitted in an interview with Inverse that he had originally wanted to play the role of Black Panther.

“I had been contacting Marvel a lot about Black Panther,” the 44-year-old told the publication. “I had written them letters. I was trying to find a way to make them make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up I f**king loved Black Panther.”

The actor said that he eventually landed a meeting with Marvel producer Nate Moore and directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Anthony was then offered a role, however, he didn’t know who he would be playing.

“I’ll never forget, Joe Russo said, ‘Listen, so we’re doing this movie. We want you to be in it. We can’t say what character you’re playing or who else is going to be in it. Would you do it?’" The Banker actor recalled. "And that was it. I was like, ‘You know what, I like y’all dudes. I’ll do it. I’ll go on this ride with you.’ "

The role of the Wakandan superhero was eventually given to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played the role from 2016 to 2019. Anthony was cast as Sam, a former military officer who becomes one of Captain America’s greatest allies and uses a specialised wing suit to fight off villains.

Since being cast as Falcon, the actor has appeared in six Marvel films and his character even landed a lead role in the 2021 Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Anthony will play the lead role in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World, which is expected to premiere on 26 July 2024.