Hounsou retains 'Black Panther' ambition

Djimon Hounsou has expressed interest in portraying Marvel hero Black Panther in a live-action adaptation.

Speaking to io9, the actor said that his previous work on the Black Panther animated series was intended to generate interest in the character.

"That was the idea: using it as a leverage to tell a feature story," Hounsou told the website. He went on to say that he thinks it is "just a matter of time" before the project is announced.

"He's a king, he's a man of the people, and he's very powerful - he challenges himself throughout his kingdom, and I think that's rare when the king puts his own life [on the line] and challenges [people] to beat him, in order to see [who's] the best out there," he added.

"He's really cool. He comes from a world in Africa that is cool, and has all those minerals and it's very exciting. It's just a matter of time for that to be realised."

It was previously reported that Lost star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has approached Marvel with a view to bringing Black Panther to the big screen.