“Black Panther” is coming and the times they are slowly a changin.’ We’ve had female-led, African American-starring super hero films before (“Elektra,” “Blade,” “Catwoman”), but only the Wesley Snipes vehicle really made much traction (and spawned a trilogy no less). Yet it’s been a while. Up until the release of “Wonder Woman,” neither a female or black-led super hero had been released in over 10 years. But in a woke culture focused on diversity, inclusivity in movies and pop culture is growing. “Wonder Woman” set a record opening for a female-directed feature, “Captain Marvel” hits theaters in 2019 and early next year, we finally get a stand-alone “Black Panther” from Marvel Studios. These are slow gains, but hopefully they unleash the floodgates for more diverse stories told from many different communities.
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With that in mind, we’ve now received our first footage from “Black Panther” and it souds like the movie picks up right after the events of “Captain America: Civil War.” Here’s the official synopsis.
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.
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“Black Panther” features the all-star cast of Chadwick Boseman (Panther himself), Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, with Angela Bassett, with Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
Directed by Ryan Coogler and written by Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” hits U.S. theaters on February 16, 2018. Watch the first trailer and let us know what you think.
