BY: ALEXIS ARNOLD
Check out the new #BlackPanther poster and tune in to game four tonight to see the world premiere of the teaser trailer! Witness the legend. pic.twitter.com/Z4LQLNxwIc
— Black Panther (@theblackpanther) June 9, 2017
The "Black Panther" teaser trailer was released last week and let me tell you: EPIC DOES NOT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THIS FILM. Marvel has been modernizing classic heroes over the last few years, but this movie in particular will be one for the history books.
Although the film will not be released until 2018, this sneak peak gave us 5 (and a half) reasons to be totally hyped for the King of Wakanda to hit the silver screen.
1. The Cast
Black Panther has a star studded cast filled with black excellence unlike any other film.
Chadwick Boseman – James Brown ("Get on Up"), Jackie Robinson ("42")
Lupita N'yongo – Patsey ("12 Years a Slave")
Michael B. Jordan (a.k.a. bae) – Adonis ("Creed"), Oscar Grant ("Fruitvale Station")
Other big names include:
Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whitaker, and many others
2. The Amazing Costumes
My new favorite GIF! pic.twitter.com/EVcpAOgxwv #BlackPanther #BlackPantherSoLit
— BlackGirlNerdsðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ (@BlackGirlNerds) June 14, 2017
2a. THE HAIR
Locs, braids, Caesars, and many other styles I wish we saw on screen more often.
3. The Setting
Oh yes, this movie is set in Africa, the motherland itself. The writers could have easily had Black Panther in a metropolis setting and just did a short cut to his back story, but they did better. The "Black Panther" movie will be entirely about his origin story, and it looks like it will keep as close to the comic narrative as possible.
On a side note: I have always had issues with the black superhero being from "Wakanda," an imaginary African country. While other human Marvel superheroes from real places like Brooklyn or L.A., T'Challa's homeland often advances the narrative of Africa as one big, mysterious continent rather than the diverse set of countries that it is. Wakanda originally had places like "the primitive peaks" and "Piranha Cove" that fed a western narrative about Africa. (Piranhas are found in South America). However, Marvel enlisted Ta Nehisi Coates to reimagine the country in ways that grounded it in reality and put meaning behind its traditions.
4. The Director
The award-winning Ryan Coogler is heading this film. The Oakland born director is known for his work on "Fruitvale Station" and "Creed." Coogler was one of the most vocal people about the need for a "Black Panther" to have a black director, and he got his wish. In an interview with Fast Company on this upcoming film, Coogler said that it will be his "most personal movie to date," and he feels fortunate to be work on something is is so passionate about once again.
5. THE BADA$$ ACTION SEQUENCES
Need I say more?
