On The Big Screen
A Black Panther film has been in the works since Wesley Snipes expressed his interest in the property in 1992. Marvel continued to return to the idea throughout the years just prior to the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, and even commissioned the writing of a script during 2011. But, it’s taken a full decade, and 17 other films since Iron Man, to actually bring the project to fruition.
The pic is directed by Ryan Coogler, with a script that he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole, and Chadwick Boseman is in the title role. As with every other movie in the MCU franchise, Black Panther will make some alterations to plot and character, in order to fit the movie in with the overall arc of the series. As such, specifically, the character of Nakia (played by Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o) will not necessarily be the obsessive Dora Milaje that’s seen in the comic books before her turn to villainy as Malice, but will rather be more of an international spy – working in service of Wakanda and King T’Challa to provide the national leader with an idea of global context.
The character of M’Baku (played by Winston Duke) will also be a little different. In the comic books, he’s referred to as ‘Man-Ape,’ and is a protestor of T’Challa’s rule. This ‘Man-Ape’ moniker will be removed, in favour of connections to gorilla deities in his position as leader of the Jabari tribe of the Wakandan mountains. Ulysses Klaw (Andy Serkis) will also appear slightly changed as, although he’s still a smuggler and gangster trying to loot the nation of Vibranium, he’s not the man who killed T’Challa’s father – an event we saw in Captain America: Civil War. The character of Okoye (played by Danai Gurira), meanwhile, will be depicted as the Head of the Dora Milaje, while Princess Shuri (played by Letitia Wright) will be just that – a princess.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by Michael B. Jordan as the villainous Erik Killmonger, Martin Freeman as Joint Counter Terrorism Center operative Everett K. Ross, Daniel Kaluuya as friend and confidante of T’Challa – W’kabi, Angela Bassett as Ramonda who’s mother to T’Challa, and Forest Whitaker as spiritual leader and keeper of the heart-shaped herb – Zuri. In addition, Florence Kasumba will reprise her role as Ayo, and Sterling K. Brown will join the cast as N’jobu – a mysterious figure from T’Challa’s past.
The details of the plot, unsurprisingly, remain a closely guarded secret, but we do know two things. Firstly, the film will see T’Challa return to Wakanda to find it under threat from Erik Killmonger – partly reflective of that same storyline in the comic books. Secondly, it seems that the events of Black Panther will lead directly into Avengers: Infinity War. So, could it be that T’Challa is faced with fending off a coup led by Killmonger, only to find that the looting of Ulysses Klaw has drawn the attention of Thanos, wishing to do the same?
It’s clear from the trailer that the action will be thrilling, with camera work that’s groundbreaking. It’s also clear that the story will fully involve several female characters in a valuable way, rather than having them there to simply facilitate male heroism. This is one of the main reasons why Black Panther is so highly anticipated – it’s breaking Marvel’s own mold to lead the franchise into a new phase entirely.
Hopefully, that new phase will continue to feature excellent women in powerful roles, as well as providing opportunities for directors and writers of colour to contribute to one of the most famous film franchises of all-time. We’ll soon see if that’s true, after Black Panther is released on February 16th, 2018.
