Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in negotiations to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a lead role in the upcoming “Wonder Man” series on Disney+…
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II — best known for his Emmy winning role in “Watchmen” as well as appearances in “Candyman” and “Aquaman” — is currently deep in talks with Marvel to serve as the lead role in the upcoming “Wonder Man” series headed to Disney+.
Wonder Man is a character that has been around at Marvel since 1964 and he first served as an antagonist and villain going up against The Avengers before he eventually transformed into a hero and even served as a founding member of the West Coast Avengers.
in the comics, Wonder Man is born Simon Williams, a stuntman and actor as well as the son of a wealthy industrialist whose business ends up collapsing due to its main rival — Stark Industries. Desperate to get revenge against Tony Stark for ruining his father’s business, Williams ultimately teams up with the evil Baron Zemo, who is able to grant him extraordinary superpowers. Of course, Williams eventually sees the error of his ways before teaming up with The Avengers and help expand the team to even larger numbers with the launch of the West Coast Avengers.
It’s unknown how much or how little the upcoming series will relate back to Wonder Man’s origin story from the comics, although it’s likely there will at least be some similarities after Sir Ben Kingsley was signed to reprise his role as Trevor Slattery — a failed actor who pretends to play the villainous Mandarin in “Iron Man 3” before eventually returning in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
The upcoming “Wonder Man” series is being developed by “Shang-Chi” director Destin Daniel Cretton with Andrew Guest (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Community”) serving as lead writer for the series.
In addition to his new role in “Wonder Man,” Abdul-Mateen is no stranger to appearing in comic book based films and shows in the past including “Watchmen” and a role in the upcoming sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” as well.
There’s no word yet when “Wonder Man” might actually debut but the series is slated to drop on Disney+.
