Black Panther (film)
Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Ryan Coogler from a screenplay by him and Joe Robert Cole, and stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther, alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis. In Black Panther, T'Challa returns home as king of Wakanda but finds his sovereignty challenged by a long-time adversary in a conflict that has global consequences.
Wesley Snipes first mentioned his intention to work on a Black Panther film in 1992, with that project going through multiple iterations over the next decade but never coming to fruition. A Black Panther film was announced as one of the ten films based on Marvel characters that would be developed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures in September 2005, with Mark Bailey hired to write a script in January 2011. Black Panther was officially announced in October 2014, with Boseman first appearing in Captain America: Civil War. By the end of 2015, Cole and Coogler had both joined, and additional cast members came on board beginning in May 2016, becoming Marvel's first film with a predominantly black cast. Principal photography for the film took place from January to April 2017, at EUE/Screen Gems Studios and Pinewood Atlanta Studios in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and Busan, South Korea.
Black Panther premiered in Los Angeles on January 29, 2018, and is set to be released in the United States on February 16, 2018, in IMAX and 3D.
Contents [hide]
1 Premise
2 Cast
3 Production
3.1 Development
3.2 Pre-production
3.3 Filming
3.4 Post-production
4 Music
5 Release
5.1 Marketing
5.2 Box office
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Premise[edit]
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to Wakanda. But when two enemies conspire to bring down the kingdom, T’Challa must team up, as the Black Panther, with CIA agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje—Wakanda's special forces—to prevent a world war.[3]
Cast[edit]
(L:R) Producer Kevin Feige, director Ryan Coogler, and actors Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Chadwick Boseman promoting Black Panther at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther:
The king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda,[4][5][6] who gains enhanced strength by ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb.[7] After the events of Captain America: Civil War, and the death of his father T'Chaka, T'Challa is in mourning while ascending to the throne.[4][8] The character appears more comfortable in this film compared to Civil War, now that he is back in his "natural environment".[8] Boseman, who called T'Challa an anti-hero,[9] said that he is "very much aware of the responsibility" and as the leader of Wakanda.[10] Black Panther's suit that forms around his body was inspired by a similar design seen in Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black Panther comic book run.[11] Boseman worked with the same dialect coach he had during Message from the King,[9] and worked with Marrese Crump to stay in shape between Civil War and Black Panther.[8] He signed a five-film contract with Marvel.[12]
Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger:
A Wakandan exile who became an American black-ops soldier and seeks to overthrow T'Challa.[13][14][15] Executive producer Nate Moore said Killmonger "has his own opinion on how Wakanda has been run and should [be] run".[16] Jordan, who had "been wanting to play a villain for a while,"[17] likened Killmonger and T'Challa's relationship to the X-Men characters Magneto and Professor X.[18] He added that Killmonger is "very strategic, thoughtful. He's very patient. Very well skilled, trained to a T."[19] Killmonger's bumpy, ritualistic tribal markings on his chest and torso resemble the scar tattoos of the Mursi and Surma tribes,[20] while his dreadlocks hairstyle was a modern take on the character's long hair in the comics.[18] Corey Calliet served as Jordan's trainer on the film, after also doing so on Creed.[21]
Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia:
T'Challa's former lover and an operative of the Dora Milaje, the all-female special forces of Wakanda who serve as T'Challa's bodyguards.[22][23][16][24] She is from the River Tribe.[8] Nyong'o called Nakia a "departure" from her comic counterpart, calling her a "war dog ... an undercover spy for Wakanda. Her job is to go out into the world and report back on what’s going on."[16] She begins the film fighting for enslaved women in Nigeria; Nyong'o learned to speak Hausa for certain scenes in the film. She also trained in judo, jujitsu, silat and Filipino martial arts.[8]
Danai Gurira as Okoye:
An "extremely proud" Wakandan and traditionalist from the Border Tribe, who is the head of the Dora Milaje.[22][25][26] When looking to cast Gurira, director Ryan Coogler had not seen The Walking Dead, in which Gurira portrays the popular character Michonne, and instead wanted her for the part because of her performance in Mother of George. Gurira said that the fighting skills she learned playing Michonne complemented the skills of Okoye, but that "there's a lot of ways that they're extremely different ... Okoye is a whole 'nother thing."[27] Gurira described the Dora Milaje as a secret service that is "also very much about intel. It’s not just military," with Okoye the head of intel. Regarding Okoye's stoic demeanor, Gurira said, "She can be serious, but she also has an unexpected sense of humor. She has a heart, but for her country and for her people."[26]
Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross:
A member of the CIA and former liaison of its Joint Counter Terrorism Task Force.[28][15] Freeman said that Ross "has an uneasy peace with T'Challa", and that he "goes on a strange journey, an enlightening journey to Wakanda."[28] Unlike his comic book counterpart, who mainly served as comic relief, the filmmakers sought to turn this version of Ross into a more capable agent in terms of diplomacy and combat.[8]
Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi: A confidant to T'Challa and his best friend, who is the head of security for the Border Tribe, serving as the first line of defense for Wakanda.[29][16]
Letitia Wright as Shuri:
T'Challa's 16 year old sister and the princess of Wakanda who designs new technology for the country.[30][8] Wright described her as "an innovative spirit and an innovative mind" who "wants to take Wakanda to a new place... [and] has a great fashion sense". Wright also felt Shuri was a good role model for young black girls.[30] Executive producer Nate Moore called Shuri the smartest person in the world, even more so than Tony Stark.[8]
Winston Duke as M'Baku:
A powerful, ruthless warrior who is the leader of Wakanda's mountain tribe, the Jabari, who are in protest to T'Challa being the new king.[31] Duke describe the Jabari as people who "strongly believe that to move forward, you have to have a strong adherence and respect for the past. So they have a deep moral conscience".[32] Character elements from Christopher Priest's 1998-2003 Black Panther series were adapted for the film.[31] M'Baku is not referred to in the film by his comics alter ego "Man-Ape", since Marvel felt there were "a lot of racial implications that don’t sit well" in having a black character dress up as an ape. This aspect of the character was instead reworked to have the Jabari tribe that M'Baku is the leader of worship the gorilla gods, with M'Baku still wearing elements of fur on his arms and legs and a chest-plate that hints at the gorilla. Moore continued, "Man-Ape is a problematic character for a lot of reasons, but the idea behind Man-Ape we thought was really fascinating ... It’s a line I think we’re walking, and hopefully walking successfully."[31]
Angela Bassett as Ramonda:
T'Challa's mother and Queen Mother of Wakanda.[33] Boseman noted that Ramonda "is one of the advisors that [T'Challa] would look to... for some of the answers of what his father might want or might do. She may not be exactly right all the time, but she definitely has insights."[16] Calliet also served as Bassett's trainer, working with her before she began filming and while she was on set by creating high-intensity interval training circuits and helping to craft her diet.[21]
Forest Whitaker as Zuri:
An elder statesman in Wakanda, and the keeper of the Heart-Shaped Herb.[16][29] Coogler called Zuri a religious and spiritual figure, and a way to reference the spirituality within Wakanda from the comics. He also added that Zuri "is a major tie back" to T'Chaka for T'Challa, and is "Black Panther's version of Obi-Wan Kenobi."[34]
Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue:
A South African black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster,[1][8][14] who is allied with Killmonger.[11][16] He uses a piece of advanced Wakandan mining equipment as a sonic disruptor arm-cannon.[35] Boseman described Klaue as a threat to Wakanda, as one of the few outsiders to enter the country and someone with access to vibranium, comparing him to Osama bin Laden.[36] Serkis added that in addition to his desire for vibranium, Klaue is motivated by a "personal" vendetta against T'Challa, and "to expose what he thinks is the hypocrisy of Wakanda."[37]
Additionally, Florence Kasumba and John Kani reprise their roles as Ayo and T'Chaka respectively from Captain America: Civil War.[29][38] Sterling K. Brown plays N'Jobu, a figure from T'Challa's past,[39] Isaach de Bankolé plays the elder of one of the largest tribes in Wakanda,[40] Nabiyah Be portrays the criminal Tilda Johnson / Nightshade,[41] Sydelle Noel portrays Xoliswa, a member of the Dora Milaje,[42][43] and Connie Chuene portrays a mining elder.[44] Atandwa Kani was cast in an undisclosed role.[38] Black Panther co-creator Stan Lee has a cameo in the film.[45]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In June 1992, Wesley Snipes announced his intention to make a film about Black Panther,[46] and he had begun work on one by that August.[47] The next July, Snipes planned to begin The Black Panther after starring in Demolition Man,[48] and the next month he expressed interest in making sequels to the film as well.[49] In January 1994, Snipes entered talks with Columbia Pictures to portray Black Panther,[50] and Black Panther co-creator Stan Lee joined the film by March;[51] it had entered early development by May.[52] When the film had not progressed in January 1996, Lee explained that he had not been pleased with the scripts for the project.[53]
We've yet to have a major black comic book hero on the screen. Especially the Black Panther, which is such a rich, interesting life. It's a dream come true to originate something that nobody's ever seen before.
–Actor Wesley Snipes, who worked on early iterations of Black Panther[49]
In July 1997, Black Panther was listed as part of Marvel Comics' film slate,[54] and in March 1998, Marvel hired Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti to work on it.[55] That August, corporate problems at Marvel had put the project on hold,[56] while the next August, Snipes was set to produce, and possibly star, in the film.[57] In May 2000, Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel to co-produce, finance, and distribute a film based on Black Panther.[58] In March 2002, Snipes said he planned to do Blade 3 or Black Panther in 2003,[59] and reiterated his interest five months later.[60] In July 2004, Blade 3 director David S. Goyer said this was unlikely, as Snipes was "already so entrenched as Blade that another Marvel hero might be overkill."[61]
In September 2005, Marvel chairman and CEO Avi Arad announced Black Panther as one of the ten Marvel films that would be developed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures.[62] In June 2006, Snipes said he hoped to have a director for the project soon.[63] In February 2007, Kevin Feige, president of production for Marvel Studios, reiterated that Black Panther was on Marvel's development slate.[64] By July, John Singleton had been approached to direct the film.[65] In March 2009, Marvel hired writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, including Black Panther,[66] with Nate Moore, the head of the writers program, helping to oversee the development of the Black Panther film specifically.[67] In January 2011, Marvel Studios hired documentary filmmaker Mark Bailey to write a script for Black Panther to be produced by Feige.[68] In October 2013, Feige said "I don't know when it will be exactly, but we certainly have plans to bring [Black Panther] to life some day", noting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had already introduced the metal vibranium, which comes from Black Panther's home nation Wakanda.[69] There had been discussions of introducing Wakanda to the MCU as early as 2010's Iron Man 2, but this was put off until Marvel had "a full idea of what exactly that looked like".[8]
In October 2014, Feige announced that Black Panther would be released on November 3, 2017, with Chadwick Boseman cast in the title role.[5][6] Boseman did not audition before he was hired for the role, instead discussing it with Marvel and what he wanted to do with the part.[70] The actor was set to first portray the character in Captain America: Civil War, before starring in his own film.[6] Feige said that Marvel was considering minority filmmakers for the director and writer, but that they were focused on "looking for the best filmmakers, the best writers, the best directors possible. So I'm not going to say for sure that we're going to hire from any one demographic, but we're meeting a lot of people." He added that they had met with former Black Panther comics writer Reginald Hudlin.[71] In January 2015, Boseman said that the film was going through a "brainstorming phase" and he was looking at the different stories in the comics and how they may be merged for the film.[72] The next month, Marvel pushed back the release date to July 6, 2018.[73] In April 2015, Feige said he would be meeting with directors after the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron at the end of the month, and that further casting was underway.[74]
By May 2015, Marvel had discussions with Ava DuVernay to direct this film or Captain Marvel.[75] In June, Feige confirmed that he had met with DuVernay alongside a number of other directors, and said that he expected a decision to be made by mid- to late 2015.[76] By early July, DuVernay had passed on directing the film, explaining that "Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they're fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me... [but] we had different ideas about what the story would be ... we just didn't see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later."[77] Later in the month, DuVernay expanded,
"It was a process of trying to figure out, are these people I want to go to bed with? Because it's really a marriage, and for this it would be three years. It'd be three years of not doing other things that are important to me. So it was a question of, is this important enough for me to do? At one point, the answer was yes because I thought there was value in putting that kind of imagery into the culture in a worldwide, huge way ... a black man as a hero—that would be pretty revolutionary. These Marvel films go everywhere from Shanghai to Uganda, and nothing that I probably will make will reach that many people, so I found value in that ... [but] it's important to me that [my work] be true to who I was in this moment. And if there's too much compromise, it really wasn't going to be an Ava DuVernay film."[78]
By October 2015, F. Gary Gray and Ryan Coogler had been considered to direct the film,[79][80] though negotiations with Coogler had cooled,[80] and Gray had chosen to direct Fast & Furious 8 instead.[81] Joe Robert Cole, a member of the Marvel writers program, was in talks to write the screenplay,[82] and Marvel changed the release date once again, moving it to February 16, 2018.[83] By December, discussions with Coogler were reignited after the successful opening of his film Creed.[80] Feige described Black Panther as "a big geopolitical action adventure that focuses on the family and royal struggle of T'Challa in Wakanda, and what it means to be a king", while calling the film "a very important" link to Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel.[84][85] He added that the film would be the first Marvel Studios production to feature a "primarily African-American cast".[85][86]
Pre-production[edit]
What's so great about Panther is he's a superhero who, if you grab him and ask him if he's a superhero, he'll tell you, 'No.' He sees himself as a politician, as a leader in his country. It just so happens that the country is a warrior-based nation where the leaders have to be warriors, as well, so sometimes he has to go fight.
–Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther[87]
In January 2016, Coogler was confirmed as director,[88] and explained that he grew up reading comics, so Black Panther "is just as personal to me as the last couple of films I was able to make. I feel really fortunate to be able to work on something I’m this passionate about again."[89][90] In agreeing to direct the film after being "wooed" by Feige for months, Coogler insisted that he bring collaborators from his previous films to work on Black Panther to differentiate the film from others in the MCU that are often "shot, composed, and edited by the same in-house people". Coogler wanted to "put his own personal stamp" on the film. People he brought back to work with him on the film include Fruitvale Station cinematographer Rachel Morrison,[91] as well as production designer Hannah Beachler and composer Ludwig Göransson, who both worked with Coogler on Fruitvale Station and Creed.[91][92]
Coogler promoting Black Panther at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International
In April 2016, Feige said that Coogler was working on the script with Cole, and that filming would begin at the "very beginning of next year".[93] Feige noted that Civil War laid "the groundwork" for T'Challa's morality, and established the "geopolitical landscape" that he would have to deal with on returning to Wakanda for Black Panther.[94] Civil War also introduced the Wakandan language, based on the Xhosa language which Boseman was taught by John Kani, who first appeared as T'Challa's father T'Chaka in that film.[95] Lupita Nyong'o entered negotiations to star as T'Challa's love interest the next month,[24] and Michael B. Jordan joined in an undisclosed role, after previously working with Coogler on Fruitvale Station and Creed.[13] Coogler discussed working in with the MCU while still creating "a Ryan Coogler movie", saying,
What Marvel’s doing ... is making content that exists in a particular universe, where the characters tie in and crossover, and I think that’s a great creative challenge to me—to make this movie as personal as possible. It’s going to be my most personal movie to date, which is crazy to say, but it’s completely the case. I’m obsessed with this character and this story right now, and I think it’s going to be very unique and still fit into the overall narrative that they’re establishing. I grew up as a comic book fan, and the same things used to happen in the comic books. You’d have Wolverine’s books, and they’d be so much darker and more brutal than the X-Men books, but they’d still fit in when you open the pages of the X-Men book. It’s new to movies, but it’s not new to storytelling.[96]
Later in May, Nate Moore, now serving as a producer on the film, stated that filming would occur in Atlanta, Georgia, with Marvel "definitely investigating shooting in Africa" as well.[67] At San Diego Comic-Con International 2016, Nyong'o was confirmed for the film, in the role of Nakia, while Jordan's role was revealed to be Erik Killmonger. Also announced was Danai Gurira as Okoye. Coogler confirmed that filming would begin in January 2017.[22][25] He added that they were inspired by Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on Black Panther, who was writing the comic at the time, including' Coates' poetic dialogue, the art by Brian Stelfreeze, and "some of the questions that it’s asking".[87] Other runs of Black Panther in the comics that inspired them included those by Jack Kirby, Christopher Priest (which Coogler felt most influenced the film), Jonathan Hickman, and Hudlin. Characters for the film were picked from throughout the comics, based on what worked best for the film's story.[32] In September 2016, Winston Duke was cast as M'Baku, a role that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II also tested for.[97] The following month, Forest Whitaker was cast as Zuri and Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, with Florence Kasumba revealed to be reprising her role as Ayo from Captain America: Civil War.[29] Letitia Wright was also cast in an unspecified role.[98] Angela Bassett was cast as T'Challa's mother, Ramonda, in November,[33] and by January 2017, Sterling K. Brown was cast as N'Jobu.[39] At that time, Marvel received permission from the Oakland-based public transit agency AC Transit to use their logo in the film, for a bus that T'Challa rides in a 1990 flashback to commute to Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley, California. The setting was chosen due to Coogler's Oakland roots.[99]
Design[edit]
Cole called the film an historic opportunity to depict a black superhero "at a time when African-Americans are affirming their identities while dealing with vilification and dehumanization." He added that it was important to root the themes of the film in the actual cultures of Africa, and that they would be working with experts on the region of Africa that Wakanda is supposed to be located in.[100] Elaborating on this, Cole noted that all the countries in Africa have "different histories, mythologies, and cultures [so] what we tried to do was hone in on some of the history, some of the cultural influences and then extrapolate out in our technology ... we wanted to root it in reality first and then build out from there".[4] Coogler compared the rarity of vibranium existing only in Wakanda to the real-life mineral coltan that can almost only be found in Congo.[101] He wanted Wakanda to feel like a country rather than just one city by featuring multiple, distinct tribes each with their own cultures,[31] and created a project bible that listed each Wakandan tribe and their origins which guided the design process. Special care was taken in all aspects of the design to create a futuristic look that was not alien.[8]
Beachler wanted to honor the comics with her designs, and then fill in the gaps with research concentrated on Sub-Saharan Africa, pulling inspiration from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia,[102] as well as the designs of Zaha Hadid. Moore described this apporach as a love letter to Africa.[8] Beachler looked at the architecture of existing tribes, and then tried to make them technologically advanced in a natural way rather than if Wakanda had been colonized.[102] She said that this combination of old and new was an important theme throughout the film, as well as circular motifs to signify the transmission of energy. Some of the older areas explored in the film include Warrior Falls, the City of the Dead, and the Hall of Kings, which are juxtaposed with the more modern Afropunk style of the Golden City, the capital.[8] Rondavels were incorporated into the tops of Wakanda's skyscrapers, inspired by the look of mountains at Blyde River Canyon in South Africa.[102] Beachler created different sigils and architecture for each of the Wakandan tribes, with the Border Tribe inspired by Lesotho, the Merchant Tribe having a sigil based on Nigerian writing, and the Golden Tribe using a symbol for the sun found throughout Africa. Gorilla City, home to the Jabari Tribe, was originally set in a rain forest, but Coogler suggested that it be found up a mountain in snow. Beachler also worked on the vibranium technology used throughout the country, including the vibranium mine where the substance is depicted as glowing blue rocks, before it is refined into the stainless steel look previously seen in the MCU. The film also adapts the kimoyo bead technology from the comics, and also features sand-based technology. Beachler wanted all of the futuristic elements of the film to be consistent with projections of what real world technology may be like in 25 or 30 years. Vehicles use maglev and hovercraft modes of transport, and include a virbanium train; the king's Royal Talon Fighter, which looks like a mask from the top and bottom; and the Dragon Flyer, inspired by the Congo peafowl.[8]
Costume designer Ruth E. Carter referenced the Maasai, Himba, Dogon, Basotho, Tuareg, Turkana, Xhosa, Zulu, Suri and Dinka people in her designs for Wakanda.[103][104] She also examined appropriate works by Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and American fashion designer Donna Karan.[104] Winnie Mandela provided inspiration to the costumes Carter created for Angela Bassett, while the Dora Milaje costumes primarily used red to reflect different African cultures, and included beaded tabards that feature talismans for "protection, good spirit, and good luck, and a sense of ownership, as if the costume could be handed down from mother to daughter." Carter specifically wanted to avoid the "girls in the bathing suits" look, and instead have the Dora Milaje wear full armor that they would practically need for battle. She also had to take the stunt work that the actors had to do into consideration. The costumes for T'Challa combined his role as king and as the head of the military, including combing a kente cloth cloak with military boots. Carter also used distinct colors and patterns for each of Wakanda's tribes, such as green with shells for the River Tribe, blue with wood for the Border Tribe, and black with royal purple for the Black Panther and the Royal Palace. Three out of every five people in Wakanda go barefoot, which also influenced the costuming process. When the Wakandan characters are in other countries, their clothing looks "quite normal" but is intended to be consistent with their respective Wakandan designs.[8] Carter created 700 costumes for the film, working with "an army" of illustrators, designers, mold makers, fabric dyers, jewelry makers and more.[104]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography had begun by January 21, 2017,[105] at EUE/Screen Gems Studios and Pinewood Atlanta Studios in the Atlanta metropolitan area,[106][107] under the working title Motherland.[108][109] Filming also took place in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood in Atlanta and Atlanta City Hall, the latter serving as a United Nations building.[107] Shortly after filming started, Kani's son Atandwa stated that he would appear in the film alongside his father, the latter reprising the role of T'Chaka,[38] while on set photographs revealed that Martin Freeman would reprise his role as Everett K. Ross.[105] Marvel announced the start of production on January 26, along with confirming the casting of Freeman, Wright, and John Kani, and revealing that Andy Serkis would reprise his role as Ulysses Klaue from Avengers: Age of Ultron.[1][14]
Jordan joined the production later than the rest of the core cast. He felt that this aided his performance, since his character is separate from and in conflict with the other characters. Because of this, Jordan kept to himself while he was on set.[8] It was revealed during a press visit to the film's set that the Dora Milaje would be widely explored in the film, which does not adapt the ceremonial betrothal aspect from the comics. Moore compared the politics and humor of the film to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, saying that the former would be inherent but not "preachy", and that the latter would be avoiding the tones of Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. He added that the film does not depend on the plots of any other MCU films—and the character Winter Soldier would not be coming out of cryogenic sleep during Black Panther after being frozen by Wakandan scientists at the end of Civil War—but the events of this film do effect the wider MCU moving forward.[8]
Additional filming took place in South Korea,[1] with the city of Busan serving as the setting of a car chase scene,[109] involving 150 cars and over 700 people.[110] Filming in Busan began on March 17, 2017,[111] with shooting occurring at the Jagalchi Fish Market,[112] and filming taking place by Gwangalli Beach on March 21.[111] Other filming locations included Marine City and at the Gwangandaegyo Bridge.[110] The production crew also hired hundreds of local, current, and former film students from local universities as staff or assistant staff during the South Korea filming.[111] Filming in the country wrapped up on March 27,[110] while a Korean actor was expected to be cast for the film.[109] At CinemaCon 2017, Wright was revealed to be portraying Shuri in the film.[113] Filming concluded on April 19, 2017.[92]
Post-production[edit]
At the end of June 2017, Sydelle Noel revealed she had been cast in the film as Xoliswa, a member of the Dora Milaje.[42][43] In July 2017, Moore said Black Panther would be a cross between The Godfather and the James Bond films as a "big, operatic family drama centered around a world of international espionage. So hopefully we’re getting the best of both worlds."[16] Coogler added that the film was influenced by "the films of the '70s" such as the works of Francis Ford Coppola in that decade, as well as crime fiction. Coogler also watched the film A Prophet for inspiration.[114] Feige called the film's story "rich in culturally relevant ideas. These are conversations we were having two years ago because that is inherently the story within the comics. Now it’s going to seem like the most highly fluid thing we could have done." Boseman also indicated there were parallels to "pull from" in the film in relation to Donald Trump becoming President of the United States after Barack Obama.[36] In January 2018, Coogler hinted at the inclusion of post-credit scenes.[114]
Music[edit]
Ludwig Göransson was hired to compose the film's score by April 2017.[92] Göransson traveled to Senegal and South Africa to record local musicians to form the "base" of his soundtrack.[115] Kendrick Lamar produced the film's curated soundtrack, titled Black Panther: The Album, along with Top Dawg Entertainment founder Anthony Tiffith. Coogler chose Lamar for the project because his "artistic themes align with those we explore in the film." Lamar released the first single for the album, "All the Stars", in January 2018, in which he collaborated with fellow Top Dawg artist SZA.[116] A second song by Lamar with Jay Rock, Future and James Blake called "King's Dead" was released later in the month.[117] Black Panther: The Album is scheduled to be released on February 9, 2018.[2]
Release[edit]
Black Panther made its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on January 29, 2018.[118] It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2018,[85] and in the United States on February 16, 2018,[83] in IMAX and 3D.[119][120] The film will have a "cross-nation release" in Africa, a first for a Disney film.[101] It was originally scheduled to be released on November 3, 2017,[5] before moving in February 2015 to July 6, 2018 to accommodate Spider-Man: Homecoming.[73] In October 2015, it moved again to accommodate Ant-Man and the Wasp.[83]
Marketing[edit]
Marvel debuted early footage and concept art from the film in April 2017, at a press event for several of the MCU Phase Three films. Kyle Buchanan at Vulture.com praised the cinematography, costume and production design, and focus on dark skinned actors and characters, saying "Black Panther doesn't look like any of the other Marvel movies ... If this is what the future of superhero movies looks like, deal me in."[92] Feige believed the screened footage was the first time Marvel had shown raw dailies, a decision made because the company wanted to show off the film's cast (which Feige called "the highest-class cast we've had on a first movie") and diversity, even though editing for it had not yet begun.[121]
A teaser poster was released ahead of the first teaser trailer, which premiered during Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals.[122][123] Fans felt the poster was poorly photoshopped, and tweets mentioning it were only 27 percent positive, and 27 percent negative, according to CNBC's marketing technology firm Amobee.[124] The poster was also compared to a real-life picture of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton holding two gun spears.[122] The trailer received a much more positive response, with Peter Sciretta of /Film saying it was "nothing like I was expecting this movie to look like and that's refreshing."[125] io9's Charles Pulliam-Moore called the teaser "every bit as intense as you were hoping it would be" and "epic as hell".[126] Andrew Husband for Uproxx felt the single teaser "easily outshines Spider-Man: Homecoming's big-from-the-beginning marketing campaign."[123] Forbes's Scott Mendelson felt that "Black Panther has the chance to be a seminal event in the same way we're now seeing with Wonder Woman."[127] The trailer was viewed 89 million times in 24 hours,[128] and "dominated the conversation on social media for much of the night" over Game 4, being the top-trending item on Twitter.[124] The Hollywood Reporter noted that the teaser generated 349,000 Twitter mentions in 24 hours, also more than Game 4. The amount of mentions were second to the amount the Star Wars: The Last Jedi teaser received.[128] comScore and its PreAct service noted over 466,000 new social media conversations for the film after the trailer released, the most for the week.[129] For the week ending on June 18, comScore and its PreAct service again noted social media conversations for the film, with over 33,000 new ones, the second-most for the week behind Spider-Man: Homecoming. The service also noted Black Panther produced a total of over 566,000 conversations to date.[130]
Costumes from the film were on display at D23 Expo 2017 and the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.[131][132] Also in July, Marvel Studios unveiled a partnership with Lexus, with the 2018 Lexus LC scheduled to be featured in the film.[133] A graphic novel, Black Panther: Soul of the Machine, was released in December 2017 from writers Fabian Nicieza, Geoffrey Thorne and Chuck Brown, with cover illustrations by Scott "Rahzzah" Wilson and Szymon Kudranski, in which Black Panther defeats a villain with the help of the Lexus LC 500.[133][134][135] Lexus also unveiled the 2018 LC Inspiration Series production car and a concept coupe dubbed the Black Panther Inspired LC.[135] Coogler, Boseman and other members of the cast presented exclusive footage of the film at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, which received a standing ovation from the audience.[136] The footage segued into a montage featuring Kendrick Lamar's song "DNA". Coogler called the lyrics "amazing" and both literally and culturally appropriate for the footage and film.[137] In September 2017, Coogler, Gurira, and Moore participated in a panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference, where exclusive footage from the film was also shown and met with a positive response. Also speaking there, Science & Entertainment Exchange Director for the National Academy of Sciences Richard Loverd felt the film would increase interest in science, technology, and Africa for young black Americans, similarly to how The Hunger Games films and Brave sparked girls' interest in archery.[101]
On October 16, 2017, a full trailer was released. Dave Trumbore for Collider felt it was "a killer trailer. It not only shows off a ton of action sequences, outrageous costume design, and comic book goodies for fans out there, it also brings an unmistakable sense of style that's all Black Panther's own."[138] Graeme McMillan of The Hollywood Reporter said the message of the trailer was clear: "this isn't like the other Marvel movies, this is something else".[139] BamSmackPow's Brendan Day said the trailer "does everything right", showing "a lot of cool imagery and action scenes without giving us much context or story points" and having unique music choices, featuring "BagBak" by Vince Staples and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron.[140] Writing for Rolling Stone, Tre Johnson felt the trailer showed T'Challa as "someone with the arrogance of [John] Shaft, the coolness of [Barack] Obama and the hot-headed impulsiveness of Kanye West." He continued, "After decades of trying to nail the modern black superhero, we may finally be getting what we've asked for ... Coogler has set out to do something with the modern black superhero that all previous iterations have fallen short of doing: making it respectable, imaginative and powerful. The Afro-punk aesthetic, the unapologetic black swagger, the miniscule appearances from non-black characters – it's an important resetting of a standard of what's possible".[141] A few days later, Marvel Comics published a prelude tie-in comic focusing on one of T'Challa's first missions as the Black Panther around the time of Iron Man.[142]
Box office[edit]
In December 2017, a survey from Fandango indicated that Black Panther was the second most anticipated film in 2018 behind Avengers: Infinity War.[143] Fandango reported that its first 24 hours of ticket presales for the film were the largest ever for a Marvel film, surpassing Captain America: Civil War in 2016.[144] Early projections for the film have it earning between $80–90 million in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada,[145][146] with the potential to earn between $100-120 million,[146][147][148] and earning $275–335 million for its domestic total.[145][147]