chadwick boseman
Chadwick Boseman and STXFilms Motion Picture Group Chairman Adam Fogelson speak onstage at CinemaCon The State of the Industry and STXfilms Presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon on April 2, 2019 in Las Vegas. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for CinemaCon

Las Vegas-- Chadwick Boseman’s “star power” was on full display on Tuesday during STX’s studio presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. After complimenting the “Black Panther” actor’s performance in last year’s Marvel feature, STXFilms Motion Picture Group Chairman Adam Fogelson welcomed the film star on stage to talk about his upcoming film, “21 Bridges.”

The trailer that was shown at the event begins with Boseman’s character as a child (played by Christian Isaiah of “Shameless” fame) mourning the death of his policeman father. Fast-forward to his adult life, Boseman is shown being hand-selected to solve a case which saw the death of eight cops.

In the preview, Boseman’s character decides to shut down every access point to New York City, from the rivers to the subways and its bridges, hence, the title. “Flood the island with blue,” he says.

Boseman, who not only acts in the film but also helped produce, said he was attracted to the crime drama for several reasons. “I would say it was a combination of having a fast past action movie…it took me back to my theater days,” he explained. He also shared his love of being able “to see a project from beginning to end” due to his producer credit.

To prepare for the role the actor completed gun training and tagged alongside police both in New York and Los Angeles. “It definitely put me in the mindstate of the character,” he said, calling some things he saw while on the road “terrifying.”

While the role may have been intense, Boseman also expressed the joy of his current success. “I’m pretty much living my best life,” he said.

“21 Bridges” releases in theaters on July 12.