HBO actor confirmed as first Black Ops 6 cast member—and he’s playing a new character

The talent behind the cover character for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been revealed, and it’s a new one for the series, along with a new actor.

Thirty-five-year-old American actor Y’lan Noel will be playing an as-of-yet unknown character in Black Ops 6, but he’s the one who’s depicted in the game’s promotional and cover art, according to a report by Variety.

Noel, most known for his roles as Daniel King on the popular HBO series Insecure along with Dmitri in 2018’s The First Purge, hails from Brooklyn, New York.

“He’s never worked in gaming before, but we really were impressed by his voice tapes. He’s super charismatic, super thoughtful,” Activision senior VP and head of marketing Tyler Bahl said. “And when you’re playing a new character, we give the actors a bio, we set the scene, but they make the character, they bring that to life. So as the lead, he’s playing this brand new character that he defined and the team was just so impressed with what he’s been able to deliver.”

We should know more about the game and the character very soon as Noel’s role along with the rest of BO6 will be unveiled this Sunday, June 9 during the Xbox Game Showcase, with a deep dive on the next CoD title directly following it.

No other CoD characters have officially been confirmed just yet, but in-game teasers have hinted at the return of Frank Woods and Russell Adler, with more new and familiar faces likely to pop up in the storyline that looks to be set during the Gulf War and early 1990s.

Noel will also star as Ferdie Platt in the upcoming Apple TV+ mini-series Lady in the Lake, alongside Natalie Portman, David Corenswet, and Mikey Madison. It premieres on July 19.