After a brief stint as Perry White in DC’s Snyderverse, Laurence Fishburne is keeping pretty busy with the comic giant’s direct competition. Not only does Fishburne have 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp on the way, but the Tony winner also has a more hush hush Marvel project on the go.
Chatting with Collider while doing press for the Richard Linklater drama Last Flag Flying, Fishburne gave a glowing endorsement of what Marvel Comics meant to him growing up and the joy that comes with joining the action yourself. No need for radioactive spiders required.
“I have figured out how to get myself into the Marvel Universe…” Fishburne told Collider. “I can only tell you that I, as a comic reader from childhood, I was a Marvel guy primarily because I grew up in New York City in the 60s and 70s when Marvel was really touching on everything that was happening in my world. It was reflected in the books and in the stories they were telling.”
Scheduling conflicts prevented Fishburne from returning as Perry White in DC’s upcoming blockbuster Justice League and it was that hiccup that spurred the actor to see if the MCU would be interested in bringing him aboard. As a result, we have Fishburne in next year’s Ant-Man sequel.
“All I can tell you is I’m playing Bill Foster, who was Hank Pym’s assistant,” said Fishburne on his role. “That’s how I enter into the world and I’m very excited. Peyton Reed is directing it, who directed the first one. It’s gonna be as fun and cool and smart as the first one.”
Fishburne teased another Marvel project he’s been working on, but he’s staying evasive about its contents. He’s quite bullish on it, though.
“I’ve got Blackish going on, I’m developing something else for Marvel that I can’t talk about,” he told Collider. “It’s gonna be really cool. It’s gonna change the world, we hope (laughs). I went to Marvel and pitched them something that really couldn’t work out—there was a lot of legal red tape that just [was] something they couldn’t work out. But then they came back with the offer for Ant-Man and the Wasp and then they said, ‘Hey, what do you think of this?’ and I went ‘Oh yeah that, yes!’ so…”
Speculation caps on, people. What do you suppose that developed project might be? Is it for the MCU? A TV series? A line of backpacks with Fishburne and Spider-Man high-fiving? Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to seeing it. I imagine you might be too.
(Via Collider)