Black Panther Will Take Us Into Outer Space, Says Forest Whitaker

Can you feel it? We sure can. There’s a palpable sense of excitement in the air swirling around Ryan Coogler’s upcoming Black Panther, which will claw its way into theaters on February 16th. With what’s been a tremendous marketing campaign now winding down, and advanced ticket sales for the film promising big numbers at the box office, all signs point to another monster hit for Marvel, and we’ll know soon enough if that’s indeed the case.

But until we get to see T’Challa’s solo outing for ourselves, we have one more piece of good news to get you hyped, and that’s that apparently, the spinoff will take us into outer space. Or at least, that’s according to Forest Whitaker, who plays Zuri in the film. Speaking in a recent interview, the actor dropped the surprising reveal, saying:

“We’re gonna see not only travel things but things that take us into outer space and things that take us into the James Bond space. It’s a really unique amalgamation of different things that come together in an exciting way.”

Continuing on, he spoke a bit more about what’s going to help the film stand out.

“It’s a unique piece. It’s a cultural piece. I think people are waiting to find something new to be able to live in, and this superhero from Africa who is in this society and trying to fix the world is something that people have not received before. I think Ryan is a great director, so there’s always going to be some social conscience inside of it, and at the same time the action and things we haven’t seen.”

Finally, Whitaker revealed that some of the cast were in tears after watching the movie for the first time.

“First time we saw it just as a cast… after it, everybody leaped up to their feet, literally. Some of them were in tears, we were so excited about what was actually occurring. I think that people have that same excitement around the movie. I’m expecting something great for the cast, something great for the world, something great for Ryan.”

Excited yet? We sure are. Everything Whitaker is saying here is music to our ears and at this point, it really does look like Black Panther will be a gripping and original slice of superhero fare, with the Afrofuturist stylings of Wakanda a much-needed bit of new territory for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, we could be wrong, but something tells us that the studio’s got another mega hit on their hands here, and we can’t wait to see it with our own two eyes.

Much like most other MCU films before it, Black Panther will begin its rollout overseas on February 9th, before T’Challa officially stakes a claim for the domestic box office crown one week later, on the 16th. He’ll enjoy a theatrical release fit for a king, too, as IMAX and Ryan Coogler recently outlined their plans to include a number of sequences specifically tailored for the large-screen format.