With only a few seconds of screen time, the Internet is hyped about Black Panther’s appearance in the third installment of the Captain America franchise.
Chadwick Boseman will play the role of Black Panther, also known as T’Challa, king of the advanced and futuristic African society of Wakanda.
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#CaptainAmericaCivilWar trailer just dropped & It's 90 grams of 100% raw uncut #Vibranium https://t.co/p6lBnNMDI9 pic.twitter.com/8bV3RvG8wP
— Black Nerd Problems (@BlkNrdProblems) November 25, 2015
The news about Black Panther has been entirely transfixed on what’s going on behind the scenes. We know that Ava DuVernay is out as director, and that Joe Robert Cole will write the script. While Marvel is still searching for a director to helm the project, major voices in Hollywood have let their opinions be heard about the company’s choice to specifically hire a Black director.
Anthony Mackie thinks that Marvel shouldn’t go out of its way to do so. In an interview with The Daily Beast last month, the actor, who will reprise his role as The Falcon in Captain America: Civil War, said:
“I don’t think it’s important at all,” he said. “As a director your job is to tell a story. You know, they didn’t get a horse to direct Seabiscuit! The thing is I don’t think the race of the director has to do with their ability to tell a story. I think it’s all about the director’s ability to be able to relate to that story and do it justice. I think men can direct women, and two of my greatest work experiences were with female directors. So I think it all depends. May the best man—or woman—win.”
However, Creed director Ryan Coogler, is in the running for the head job and believes that the film should have a Black director. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, he said:
“I think that there is a potential for a greater truth when a filmmaker comes from a particular culture that they’re dealing with. That’s not to say that a filmmaker can’t work outside his or her cultural space. But I do believe that the opportunity for the film to have more nuance will come when you looking at filmmakers that bring a little bit of that from their personal experience.”
Coogler is becoming one of Hollywood’s brightest directing talents. Creed, which was just released on Wednesday, has received rave reviews. The footage of Black Panther only reignites fans’ fervor for the project, which is set to be released in 2018.
