When asked to devise an elevator pitch for Black Panther, executive producer Nate Moore told io9 that Marvel’s forthcoming blockbuster is “James Bond meets The Godfather.” How’s that for a pull-quote?
It’s by no means the first time that T’Challa and 007 have been talked about in the same sentence, as director Ryan Coogler firmly believes that Black Panther, with his vast arsenal of high-tech weaponry and skills, is the MCU equivalent of Ian Fleming’s world-famous super-spy.
Adding substance to that style is the film’s family unit, which consists of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and his closest allies, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Zuri, his all-wise, all-seeing advisor played by Star Wars alum, Forest Whitaker.
It’s an enviable line-up, and thanks to this latest media dump, we now have a closer look at the brother-sister dynamic between T’Challa and Shuri, who run riot on the streets of South Korea.
Elsewhere in that aforementioned preview piece by io9, Marvel production designer Hannah Beachler outlined the ways in which her team brought Wakanda to life – from the majestic Warrior Falls to the gilded corridors of the Golden City.
One of the things that we really wanted to be sure about Wakanda is the technology. I think that’s something that all the fans want to see. ‘What is this advanced civilization?’ But the other thing that we really talked about was keeping the traditions of several different African tribes. So we really delved in to what that was, and how we mix this new and this old.
It’s testing “extremely well” in early screenings and has reportedly spawned talks of a potential sequel – not to mention numerous crossovers and spinoffs featuring that aforementioned ensemble – and we’ll be able to see what all the fuss is about when Black Panther hits theaters on February 16th. And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, there’s also mention of a Deadpool 2 trailer being attached to Marvel’s latest superhero flick.
