Marvel Cinematic Universe star Anthony Mackie reveals he wants to play Panthro in a ThunderCats movie and recalls his childhood love of the series. Created by Tobin “Ted” Wolf, the animated show followed the adventures of the titular group of catlike heroes on the alien planet called Third Earth, where after awaking from a suspended animation must fight against their enemies known as the Mutants of Plun-Darr and a mummified sorcerer called Mumm-Ra. ThunderCats ran for four seasons before initially coming to a close in 1988.

ThunderCats would go on to spawn a franchise that included multiple comic books from Marvel and DC Comics, a side-scrolling video game and a TV movie. The series would get rebooted twice by Cartoon Network, the first in 2011 receiving largely positive reviews though saw its episode order cut from 52 to 26 and subsequently canceled while the second in 2020, ThunderCats Roar, would receive a lot of fan backlash but run for the full 52 episodes. Attempts at making a ThunderCats movie have been in the works for a long time and one A-list star is looking to put their stamp on the property.

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While attending the recent Fan Expo in New Orleans (via Joe Brooklyn), Mackie revealed his desire to star in a ThunderCats movie. The MCU star recalled having grown up with the animated series and that he wants to play Panthro in a movie, comparing his potential casting to Kelsey Grammer’s in X-Men: The Last Stand. See what Mackie said below:

“I pre-existed the whole Pokemon, anime [craze]. I wasn’t into comic books, any of that stuff. So I was a big ThunderCats fan. My goal, when they make the ThunderCats movie, is that I want to be the blue dude. What’s his name? Panthro! That’s what I want to be when I grow up. If Kelsey Grammer can be Beast, I want to be Panthro. Both of us can be blue.”

Studios have been trying and failing to get a ThunderCats movie off the ground for nearly 15 years, with a CGI project first being eyed in 2007 from Spring Creek Productions languishing in development hell for three years before officially being canceled. Test footage and concept art for the CGI film has leaked throughout the years, though outside of Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich expressing her interest in playing Cheetara in a live-action film, word on a potential big screen adaptation largely died with the original project. That was until early last year when Warner Bros. announced a new live-action ThunderCats film with Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard attached to helm on a script he’s co-writing with longtime collaborator Simon Barrett.

No new details have emerged on the ThunderCats live-action movie since this announcement, but Mackie’s desire to play Panthro in the project comes at the right moment. With no cast currently set for the project, the MCU vet could bring some appropriate star power to the roster of the film to draw audiences to the theater. Only time will tell whether Mackie will get to live out his childhood dream and star in a ThunderCats movie.

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Source: Joe Brooklyn

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Grant Hermanns
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Grant Hermanns is a News Writer, Interviewer and Hiring Manager for Screen Rant, having joined the team in early 2021. Way back in 2015 while still in his college days, Grant got his start in the entertainment journalism industry with creator-friendly site Moviepilot until it shuttered nearly three years later. From there he joined the staff at ComingSoon.net and was its Associate Editor prior to coming over to Screen Rant.

To say he’s a lover of film and television would be an understatement and when he’s not mass consuming either you can find him exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends or slowly making his way through his gaming backlog.

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