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The studio faces a dilemma in planning a sequel to Hollywood’s first great superhero movie with a predominantly black cast.
Chadwick Boseman in the title role of ‘Black Panther’. Image: marvel.com
NEW YORK – Shortly after learning that Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman had died at age 43, fans urged Marvel Studios not to reprise the role, creating a dilemma for the studio planning a sequel to Hollywood’s first major superhero movie with a predominantly cast. black.
Writers, academics and activists, speaking to Reuters about the film’s cultural impact and Boseman’s performance, believe that Marvel and its parent company, Walt Disney Co, should honor Boseman’s legacy with a story that anoints a new Panther. Black from the existing cast of the film or anywhere else in the Marvel Universe.
“They should really consider following the comic book storyline and advancing Letitia Wright (who plays Shuri, the tech-genius sister to Boseman’s character) in that central role,” said Jamil Smith, senior writer for Rolling Stone.
“We have seen it in action. We have seen her in the middle of these fights. Why wouldn’t we think that she would have the courage and strength to become the next Black Panther? “
That strategy could help alleviate fans who would have a hard time seeing a different male actor continue with the role.
“Perhaps the answer, for those of us who are not yet ready to see someone else in that suit, is to pass the reins a little earlier than expected and allow Shuri to take the mantle perhaps for a while. Black panther 2”Said April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite and vice president of content strategy for Ensemble, a content studio.
Other approaches could celebrate Boseman’s legacy. “Does (his character) come back as little Black Panther?” said Nicol Turner Lee, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Does Disney honor the imagination of the boys and girls who admired it?”
Disney and Marvel declined to comment. The studio has focused on paying tribute to Boseman, airing the film commercial-free last Sunday on Disney-owned ABC, followed by an ABC News special about the actor.
According to a report by Hollywood reporter, executives were taken by surprise, and few people were aware of Boseman’s battle with cancer.
WAKANDA FOREVER
Black Panther, based on the pioneering Marvel Comics character that first appeared in 1966, generated $ 1.35 billion in box office sales, three Academy Awards and an Oscar nomination for best picture, and accolades for its titular star, who died on August 28. Marvel planned to begin production of Black panther 2 in March, according to the Hollywood Reporter, for a release scheduled for May 6, 2022.
While other studios have experienced the sudden deaths of franchise stars, and have recast title roles like Batman and Spider-Man for other reasons, Marvel’s decision carries more weight because Black Panther It was a highly celebrated black superhero film, starring an actor loved by fans for the dignity he brought to the role.
The 2018 film broke new ground with its predominantly black cast, led by a black director. Boseman played the character of King T’Challa, who presides over the futuristic African nation of Wakanda. Produced on a budget of $ 200 million, it was praised for its diversity, after years of criticism for the lack of actors and filmmakers of color in Hollywood.
“At that point, Disney shattered the myth that you can’t package and distribute feature films with blacks as the lead,” Lee said. “For me, Black Panther it represents the fact that the inclusion sells. “
Black Panther it also hit theaters at a time of growing racial tension in America. President Donald Trump had recently questioned why the United States would want immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as “shitty countries.” The previous August, he had claimed “both sides” were to blame for violence between white nationalists and counter-protesters at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Then came Wakanda.
“Black Panther the movie was a great cultural landmark, ”said Alan Jenkins, a professor of practice at Harvard Law School. “Part of what made the film so important was the world of Wakanda and the idea of an African nation unleashed by colonialism, the slave trade and exploitation. He had dignity, brilliance and technology. “
Today Black Panther it is even more relevant, as black Americans suffer disproportionately from COVID-19 and are killed by police, cultural experts say. Aspirational Wakanda provides an antidote to that suffering.
“The movie certainly didn’t cause the activism today, that was because of the tragic murder of George Floyd and others,” Jenkins said. “But it contributed to an environment in which we can see new realities and imagine a world that is more just and equitable than the one we live in.”
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