Winston Duke on improvised line, recasting Black Panther, and The Fall Guy

With regard to his return as M'Baku in Wakanda Forever, Duke revealed he improvised one particular line during the film: The intention for Mbaku in this film is to serve as the vent for a pressure cooker & that's what influenced this improvisational gem, amongst others... "you baldheaded demon!" Duke is referring to the scene where M'Baku addressed the Dora Milaje's Okoye (Danai Gurira), improvising poking fun at the female warrior's shaved head, tattoos, and menacing presence.

In a later scene, M'Baku also referred to Tenoch Huerta's version of Namor as "Fish Man", though it is not clear if this was also improvised. Critics have pointed out how the film can be too grim and lacks action, but Duke's entertaining moments were some of the high points.

One point that Winston Duke feels strongly about with regard to the character of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, his opinion is that recasting was not an option for the role of T'Challa, at this point in time. The actor addressed the question on Jemele Hill's podcast: I think for this iteration of Black Panther, it's very hard for me to really comment on something like that. Because, I'm of the mind that this is Chadwick's role. Chadwick created this and Black Panther wouldn't be the same without Chadwick Boseman, who stood for the things that he stood for. When you cast a person, you're also casting their experiences, their politics, all of these thing. Black Panther was defined by the actor that did it, in my opinion. So, I feel, as-is, the decision that's been made to keep T'Challa, Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa is one that has a lot of nobility in it. While Winston Duke's MCU future as M'Baku is unclear beyond being the ally and advisor to the kingdom of Wakanda (as revealed at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), he has other projects lined up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winston Duke was recently cast in the Universal Pictures big screen adaptation of the popular 1980's action series, The Fall Guy.

The original version starred Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man) as a stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Duke even shared that he watched reruns of the show back in his younger days.

Duke will be joining Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Stephanie Hsu for The Fall Guy. The film will be directed by David Leitch (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). Gosling is co-producing the adaptation with Kelly McCormick, while Drew Pearce will provide the screenplay and serve as executive producer.

For now, fans of Winston Duke can catch him bringing his charismatic portrayal of Hanuman's champion in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever currently running in theaters.