He also talked about whether he’d come back for Sicario 3.
Having appeared in Skins, Black Mirror, Get Out, Widows and now the fantastic Queen & Slim, Daniel Kaluuya is on something of a run.
JOE caught up with the Oscar-nominated actor in the build-up to the release of his powerful new drama, and while the conversation focused on the impressive past and present of his career, we had to ask about the future, too.
Kaluuya had a major role in Black Panther as W’Kabi, the husband of T’Challa’s head of security Okoye (Danai Gurira). He is eventually part of the reason why Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is able to start an uprising within Wakanda.
So, with writer/director Ryan Coogler already working on the Marvel sequel, we wanted to know if there had been any discussions about W’Kabi returning:
“He mentioned it. Obviously, because was producing the [Fred] Hampton film,” Kaluuya tells JOE, referring to an upcoming biopic in which he plays the former deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party.
“He mentioned some stuff. But I don’t [know], not even in a pessimistic way, but we’ll see. Story is king for me and what is best for the story. You are a servant to the story, you are in service to the story. So if I’m needed for the story, then I’ll show up for the story.”
Additionally, Kaluuya was also part of one of the best thrillers of the last decade, playing Emily Blunt’s best friend in Sicario. While neither of them returned for the 2018 sequel, Benicio del Toro had previously mentioned that he would love Blunt to come back for a trilogy-closer. And if she did, we wanted to know would Kaluuya like to come back, too?
“I had a great experience on that film, I thought it was really interesting. Would I come back for the third one? Again, story is king, I don’t know.”
JOE tells Kaluuya that it is difficult to imagine Blunt returning without Kaluuya as he was almost integral part of her character.
“Yeah, it was interesting, because it was almost like I was her conscience, in a sense,” he says.
“Or kind of like she had someone that had her back but she was enticed by this world. It would be really interesting to explore it, but whatever the story needs, the story needs.”
Black Panther II is due to arrive in Irish cinemas in May 2022, while Kaluuya’s new movie Queen & Slim is in Irish cinemas right now.
You can listen to our full chat to Daniel Kaluuya right here:
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