Black Panther's Winston Duke is set to join co-star Lupita Nyong'o in Jordan Peele's Us. Duke made some serious noise in his scene-stealing role in Black Panther as M'Baku, one of many memorable characters introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Ryan Coogler's 2018 megahit. He then made a cameo as the Jabari leader in Avengers: Infinity War, and now, he's looking to expand his career even further.
Peele, meanwhile, is fresh off an Academy Award win for his screenplay for Get Out and is now moving on to his next thriller, Us. While details about the movie are relatively scant for now, it's clear that Peele is targeting Black Panther stars for what would ostensibly be major roles. Duke has become the latest to join the team.
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The actor revealed through his own Twitter account on Friday night that he has joined the cast of Us, posting the movie's first official poster (which had been previously revealed). The tweet describes Peele as a "visionary" director, and it's hard to disagree with that, considering how distinctive and unique a film he created with Get Out. Duke is certainly excited to "take a journey" with the director for the new movie, which is described on the poster as "a new nightmare from the mind" of Peele.
Us had already confirmed that Nyong'o would also join the cast. Elisabeth Moss has also been in talks to star, but there hasn't been any news on that front for some time. While there are a lot of eyes on Peele's next film, it's worth noting that it won't have the same focus on social issues as Get Out did, but its tone might be on a similar level.
Whatever the plot of Us turns out to be, it will likely have similar tones and themes as Get Out. Based on the poster's tagline, it will almost certainly be another thriller with horror elements. And so far, Peele is assembling quite a talented cast to lead the film. Duke has already taken his career to another level with his performance as M'Baku, arguably the best of the Black Panther characters. He even became a meme at one point with the viral M'Baku challenge. With Us, he could have a chance to reach even greater heights.
Us still isn't expected to release until March 2019, but the odd release date shouldn't fool audiences. Get Out released in February 2017 and became a massive success for Peele and Blumhouse Pictures, grossing $255 million worldwide on a paltry $4.5 million budget (in addition to winning an Oscar over a year later). There's no telling right now whether Us would experience the same wild level of success, but if Peele keeps the budget similarly low, it'll be hard for the movie not to be another winner for him, Duke, and everyone involved.
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Sources: Winston Duke
