Film with black cast ‘long overdue’

Black Panther star Andy Serkis has said that having a film with a predominantly black cast and a black director is long “overdue”.

The actor also said it was the first time that the Marvel movie’s director, Ryan Coogler, had directed two white actors – himself and Martin Freeman – and it showed just how long black actors have been “the minority” in film.

Serkis, 53, said: “It is over- due, and it’s the right time to make it. If there was ever a time to make this film, it’s now, and that’s why I think it’s resonating across the world. It’s a groundbreaking movie and the great thing is, to have a film of this scale, this piece of grand entertainment, blockbuster material with a predominantly black cast … I mean, it just hasn’t been done before.”

Referring to Coogler, Serkis said: “He came up to (me and Freeman) when he directed a scene, and he said ‘I’ve never actually directed two white actors before’.

“And it’s just like, of course, we do live in a world where we’ve been making films for however many years and black actors have been the minority, and go through that feeling every single time.”

Black Panther is set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda and stars Chadwick Boseman in the leading role of T’challa/black Panther along with an ensemble cast comprised of Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B Jordan, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker.