For those unaware of her work, Ava DuVernay is an award winning and Golden Globe nominated director (Selma 2014) with a pedigree rooted in African-American-themed films. She debuted in 2008 with a documentary about ’90s Los Angeles hip hop, titled This in the Life (via IMDb). And as of Monday June 22, the Marvel MCU Twitter account (citing a private source) confirmed DuVernay to be the director of the upcoming Black Panther film. (From the “grain of salt” dept: the Marvel MCU Twitter account has no affiliation with Marvel.)
T’Challa, or the Black Panther, was the first black superhero to appear in the mainstream comic world (debuted 1966). The T’Challa reigns from the African nation of Wakanda, where he was given the “Black Panther” title by defeating many of the Wakanda tribe champions. But on his way in becoming the Black Panther, T’Challa met an orphan girl named Ororo and fell in love with her. Ororo later grew into a mutant member of the X-Men named Storm. The Black Panther wears a skin-tight, black suit that covers everything but his eyes, and is topped with two perky ears. He has his Ph.D. in Physics and—from his trials in Wakanda—is a skilled hunter and tracker that can jump and strike quickly and quietly, as his name suggests.
Confirmed to play the Black Panther in the 2018 film is Chadwick Boseman, best known for his work in Draft Day (2014) and his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 2013′s 42. According to Variety (via Vcpost.com), Boseman is “beyond excited” to play the Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here is his longer statement with Variety:
“I can’t think of another character that is like the leader of a nation and a superhero at the same time . . .There are a lot of different ways this story can go, ways they can do it. So I’m just really excited about how it fits into the bigger picture, what Marvel is doing.”
It is speculated that the Black Panther may be battling with villain, Klaw, in the film, which excites this writer. What also gets this writer’s nerd rage pumping is to see what will most likely be an all black cast in a Marvel franchise; he finds it very classy on Marvel’s part. But what do you guys think? Share and comment below!
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