Does Black Panther have the power to change the face of films?
The movie being hailed as the first black blockbuster opens in cinemas across the country today. Superhero film Black Panther is the latest bigscreen Marvel Comics adaptation, following Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, among many others.
But it differs from the 17 other films in the £7billion franchise, as it boasts a mainly black cast, including The Wire’s Michael B. Jordan and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, and a black director, Ryan Coogler.
And it’s one of the most anticipated of Marvel Studio’s films, if advance ticket sales are anything to go by. A month before it opened, it became the franchise’s most pre-ordered film in the first 24 hours of global ticket sales.
Black Panther’s teaser trailer racked up 89 million views on the first day it went online. And the £144million production was one of the most tweeted about films of 2017, despite it not being released till today.
The movie is based on the Black Panther character, introduced by Marvel in July 1966.
Three months later, the Black Panther movement started in California. Despite myths that the birth of the black rights organisation and Marvel’s new character were linked, the two were actually unconnected.
But, perhaps partly because of that lingering belief of a joint destiny, the film’s stars are hopeful it will change the movie industry, and inspire black youngsters.
At the London premiere last week, former Skins actor Daniel Kaluuya, 28 – Oscar nominated for horror film Get Out – talked about the power of seeing black characters in positive leadership roles.
The Londoner said: “It’s important for little kids not to see it as special, but to see it as normal.”
And Michael B Jordan, 31, the Creed star who plays Black Panther’s arch rival Erik Killmonger, said: “All kids going to see this film and feeling some sense of pride of who they are, where they come from, and their heritage and culture.
“That is extremely important. I hope this film starts so many conversations about understanding differences, understanding one another.”
And, in another significant move, the film is not set in the West but in a fictional East African metropolis in the technologically advanced country of Wakanda.
The nation has rich supplies of the powerful element vibranium, which global leaders try to extract.
Chadwick Boseman, 42, plays T’Challa, the heir to the Wakandan throne, who dons the Black Panther suit to protect his nation.
The film not only promotes racial diversity, but also boasts an impressive female cast, including Lupita, 34, as spy Nakia, and Angela Bassett, 59, as T’Challah’s mother and close advisor.
In a symbolic reversal of Hollywood norms, its two white characters – CIA agent Everett Ross and villain Ulysses Klaue, played by Brits Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis respectively– have been dubbed by critics as “the token white guys”.
Even with Wesley Snipes starring in Blade in 1998 and Will Smith in Hancock in 2008, there has never been such buzz – or hope – around a superhero flick with a black star.
It’s important for kids not to see it as special, but as normal KALUUYA ON THE POWER OF BLACK CHARACTERS
Kids going to see this and feeling pride – that’s important MICHAEL B JORDAN WHO PLAYS KILLMONGER