Marvel’s Black Panther, the first Black mainstream comic book hero, may finally be on the verge of a major movie-theater debut.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Black Panther character back in 1966.
“Out of costume, the Black Panther was an African prince named T’Challa who led the fictional country of Wakanda,” Sean Howe wrote in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. “Not a Dark Continent noble savage, but a scientific genius who impressed even the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards.”
Fans of the comic book world have been eagerly waiting for the day that the iconic hero would make it to theaters, and their wait may finally be over.
According to Business Week, actor Chadwick Boseman hinted that he might indeed be involved with an upcoming Black Panther film.
When the Get On Up actor was asked about possibly playing Black Panther he replied by saying, “Ahhhh, I don’t know anything about that … until the contract is signed, I don’t know.”
Even if Boseman is not confirmed as the Black Panther actor, the hint was enough to convince comic lovers that a Black Panther movie was at least in the works.
Some rumors suggest the comic book hero will star in his own film while others say he will likely appear in next summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
On Monday, Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, acknowledged that Marvel is indeed exploring the idea of a Black Panther movie.
Not only are they interested in looking into Black Panther but they are also exploring the idea of a movie about the female incarnation of Captain Marvel.
“They’re both characters that we like, that development work has been done, it’s continuing to be done on, and certainly it’s the question I get asked more than anything else,” Feige told ING. “More than Iron Man 4, more than Avengers 3. That’s sort of the first time that’s really happened to us, so I think that makes a difference. I think that’s something we have to pay attention to.”
While there seems to be a lot of buzz around the idea, there are still no concrete answers about the movie.
For now, fans are still eagerly waiting for a Black Panther film to surface, but all the teasing from possible actors and producers certainly has them a lot closer to the edge of their seats.
Meanwhile, Marvel recently shook up the comic world in July after announcing that Captain America’s sidekick would now take over as the lead superhero.
Sam Wilson, known by most as The Falcon, will become the new Captain America in the comic series.
