Samuel L. Jackson on Not Being in ‘Black Panther’ and the Possibility of a ‘Nick Fury’ Movie
If you’d asked me at the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe whether Nick Fury should get his very own movie, I’d probably have said no. I love Samuel L. Jackson as much as the next guy — perhaps even more after hearing his outstanding vocal work in the documentary I Am Not Your Negro — but Fury always seemed better on the periphery, a character who pull the strings in the shadows. But after seeing how well the Russo Brothers used Jackson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I’m willing to change my tune. Maybe a Nick Fury standalone movie wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.
And hey, guess what? Jackson agrees with me. Earlier this week, the actor spoke with We Got This Covered (via Heroic Hollywood) and weighed in on the chances of getting his very own movie in the next few years. He also shared his reaction to not being invited back for the Black Panther movie:
Yeah, I’d love to do a Nick Fury movie. I’m always open and game. But they got Infinity Wars, two movies to do there, and after that there’s Brie [Larson’s] movie Captain Marvel, which maybe [Nick] will be part of. Also, I asked them, “So you’re doing Black Panther and the only black character in the Marvel Universe is not showing up?” And they’re like, “Nick Fury is not in Wakanda!” How can he not know the other black superhero on the planet? How the hell does that work? But they just said, “No you’re not in that one.”
Woof, that’s a pretty meaty answer, especially for the notoriously tight-lipped Marvel actors. The big news item here, I suppose, is that Jackson officially will not be appearing in the upcoming Black Panther film, which is both totally understandable and super disappointing. From a plot perspective, there’s not a lot of reasons why Fury would be hanging out in a newly political Wakanda, but Ryan Coogler and company have already assembled one of the best casts of any summer movie. It would have been nice to have Jackson along for the ride.
As for the future of the character, it sounds like Jackson expects to make an appearance in both the Avengers: Infinity War films and (possibly) Brie Larson’s solo outing as Captain Marvel. Could they swing a Nick Fury standalone movie as well? My gut tells me you could make a very interesting Nick Fury movie by blending a combination of current day and historical events; the comics have always had fun revisiting Fury’s days as a field operative, and I’d love to see a movie showing what a young Fury was up to during the Vietnam War or other geopolitical skirmishes across the world.
At the end of the day, it’s just nice to hear that Marvel hasn’t forgotten about Jackson or his character’s potential. Giant space demi-gods and superhero battles are not without their charms, but I’ll take my superhero movies with a heavy dose of spy movie references.