Damson Idris has addressed speculation that he could become the next Black Panther.

During an appearance on the Today show on Wednesday, the F1 actor was asked if he had had any conversations with Marvel Studios about becoming the next iteration of the superhero in the third Black Panther movie.

When presenter Craig Melvin encouraged him to give a “yes or no” answer, Idris playfully replied, “Yes-no.”

Melvin asserted his response meant a “yes,” and the British actor responded, “It could mean no.”

When asked if he’d accept the role if it was offered to him, Idris confirmed that he would.

T’Challa/Black Panther was played by Chadwick Boseman in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, followed by 2018’s Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

After Boseman died in August 2020, aged 43, director and co-writer Ryan Coogler decided not to recast the character for the planned sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the 2022 film, T’Challa dies, and his sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, takes over the Black Panther mantle.

During a radio interview on Sway in the Morning, Idris opened up about what the Black Panther role would mean to him.

“It would mean everything, of course. Again, it’s all about responsibility. But either way, whoever plays that part, if that part even happens, I’m going to be in the theatres supporting it,” he shared. “I knew Chad(wick) well. He was an icon to us. Someone like Chad and what he represented, I think it’s important that that essence carries on. I think that’s what he would want.”

However, Black Panther producer Nate Moore previously insisted in February that there was “no truth” to the T’Challa recasting rumours.

“We’ll get into it later this year, but everything you read online is not true, if for no other reason than we just haven’t started (working on it yet),” he told Comicbook.com.

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