Meet Atandwa Kani, Chadwick Boseman’s Look-Alike. Fans of Black Panther are bec
Many are convinced they have found the perfect replacement to take the Black Panther suit following the saddening death of the Wakanda King last week.
As insensitive as it may be to talk about inheriting a fallen king’s place in such a hurried time in the “Wakanda” culture, tweeps are adamant they have found a perfect heir to Chadwick Boseman’s role in the Marvel Comics masterpiece – Black Panther.
Atandwa Kani, son to the legendary John Kani who also featured on Black Panther has been trending since last night on the microblogging site, Twitter. As tweeps are calling on Marvel and Disney to consider the South African talented actor – who’s Boseman’s look-alike – to feature on the next Black Panther sequel in Boseman’s place.
Atandwa Kani 36 year old, born June 6, 1984 is a South African actor, and the son of South African veteran actor John Kani.
Kani made his international stage debut in The Tempest, a collaboration between the Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he played Ariel alongside his father (Caliban) and Sir Antony Sher (Prospero). One reviewer described him as “the star of this production…he was a true pleasure to watch, embodying the character and interacting beautifully with the rest of the cast”. Sean Hewitt of the Nottingham news site, Nottingham Post, wrote: “….scene-stealing Atandwa Kani, the best Ariel I’ve ever seen”.
In 2009, Kani made his United States television debut in the CW Television Network program Life Is Wild, an American adaptation of the hugely popular ITV family drama Wild at Heart that aired in the United Kingdom from 2006 until 2012. The American adaptation was commissioned for only one season, but from 2010 to 2012, Kani played the role of Thabo in series 5 and 6, plus a brief appearance in series 7, of the original British Wild at Heart, starring Stephen Tompkinson and Dawn Steele
Kani went on to appear as the lead on Kowethu, a SABC 1 drama directed by Rolie Nikiwe. After which he was seen in the international BET series The Book of Negroes alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.
In 2014, Kani joined the acclaimed group Fortune Cookie Theatre Company and, alongside Sylvaine Strike, went on to perform Black & Blue at the Market Theatre. He also performed Sizwe Banzi Is Dead in New York City, directed by Dr. John Kani. They are currently preparing for a South African tour of this production.
Kani has recently been seen in the hit Mzansi Magic TV series, It’s Complicated.
On Tuesday, 12 July 2016, Kani attended the African premiére of The Suit, a short film in which he plays the role of Philemon, at the Old Fort of Zanzibar as part of the 19th Zanzibar International Film Festival. The film was written and directed by South African filmmaker Jarryd Coetsee and based on the short story by Can Themba. Though the film was not a part of the official competition, it was given a Special Mention by the jury.
In 2018, Kani portrayed the younger King T’Chaka, a dual part shared with his father, in the film Black Panther.
