Black Panther isn’t due in theaters until July 6, 2018, but we’ll see T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) on the big screen well before that because the character is going to be introduced in the May 6, 2016 release, Captain America: Civil War. Could the same be true for his father, King T’Chaka, too?

According to Latino Review’s El Mayimbe, not only is Ernie Hudson circling the role, but he’s already hitting the gym and going through back issues of Marvel Comic's Black Panther, too. Studying up and working out certainly doesn’t mean Hudson is going to lock the gig, but if Marvel really is looking to cast the role now, the character has got to be making a pre-Black Panther appearance.

There was that recent casting call that suggested Civil War could include a scene with Wakandan subjects, perhaps even a T’Challa’s origin story, so he could certainly pop up there. Plus, if Andy Serkis is introducing Ulysses Klaw, the baddie out to abuse Wakanda’s Vibranium supply, in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it’d make sense for more Black Panther characters to make an early appearance, too. Serkis' involvement in the Black Panther solo film hasn’t been confirmed, but considering Klaw is one of Black Panther’s primary enemies, it’d make sense for the two to go head-to-head in that film, especially considering Serkis only got “a little cameo role” in Age of Ultron.

Joe and Anthony Russo are expected to begin filming Civil War any day now, so hopefully we'll get an official confirmation on the King T’Chaka casting from the folks at Marvel soon. In the meantime, check out El Mayimbe's Instagram post below as well as a tweet from Hudson from back in October that could suggest this rumor is the real deal. (Or perhaps it's just one big coincidence.)