As someone who has seen the first Black Panther movie over 50 times, there are very few things that would surprise me. With the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie coming out, I decided to challenge myself to find out some little-known fun facts about the Black Panther.
My thoughts on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Before I get into all the fun facts, I would be remiss to not give my thoughts on the much-anticipated sequel to Black Panther. Of course I’m biased, and it would take a lot for me to ever think anything negative about it. That said, early reviews are saying that it’s incredible, and I am here to tell you…it is.
For me, the most important thing I needed from Wakanda Forever was for it to honor the memory of, and pay tribute to, Chadwick Boseman. In my mind, Chadwick will always be THE Black Panther, and his unexpected death in 2020 hit me in a way that no other celebrity death has. To show you just how much it affected me, you can check out the post I made when he died called Remembering Chadwick Boseman.
I have to say that it wasn’t even one minute into the movie before I had tears in my eyes. Ryan Coogler and the entire cast of Wakanda Forever did right by Chadwick. I heard that before they filmed the movie, the cast went to visit his gravesite, and I’m sure that not only helped them to collectively grieve their friend, but gave them the determination to carry on what he started.
I may be biased but…
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is phenomenal. Visually, it was stunning. I enjoyed the storyline. Angela Bassett has proven once again what a brilliant actor she is. The entire cast is wonderful. I really enjoyed the introduction of Namor, and the underwater city called Talokan. I loved how they paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman and the Black Panther so well, without letting it take over the story. I was so impressed by the thought and consideration that Ryan Coogler put into this movie. You can tell that there was so much care. And the costumes? Designer Ruth Carter did it again.
Final thoughts
If you’re a fan of the original Black Panther, it’s a must-see. I’m looking forward to once again watching Black kids happy faces as they see themselves on the screen. My 9-year-old nephew is going with his football team, and I can’t wait to hear what he thought. Early predictions say that it’s expected to make between $175 and $185 million domestically, and another $180 million abroad. The original Black Panther opened to over $202 million in 2018. Guess we’ll have to wait! Enjoy the movie. Wakanda Forever!
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s I Can’t Believe I Didn’t Know This About…Black Panther.
Director Ryan Coogler was introduced to Black Panther at an early age
When he was only 9-years-old, director Ryan Coogler was first introduced to Black Panther. He had walked into his local comic book store in Oakland, and asked to see a superhero that “looked like him.” And so a love story was born.
Chadwick Boseman - the one and only
When it comes to the role of the Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman was the first and only person who was even considered for the role of T’Challa. Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, brought him in for an early creative meeting. Chadwick booked the role 24 hours later.
Ten thousand years of history went in creating Wakanda
Hanna Beachler, who is the production designer, said it was very important to both Coogler and herself that the history of Wakanda was represented in the set design. The two of them crafted over 10,000 years of history, right down to what the street names would be.
She won an Oscar for Production Design for Black Panther.
It took a LONG time to build the underworld Talokan
Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
According to an interview with Production designer Hannah Beachler, “I took two years to build this underwater world. Talokan comes from a real culture, an inspiration of those who have lost something in a very tragic way but have found triumph. They are a lot like Wakanda in that they have found a way to survive. It was very important that I got this new civilization right in the same way I approached Wakanda. I had to do as big of a deep dive as Wakanda because Talokan is specifically inspired by Mesoamerican and Mayan culture. I think it’s going to be something really incredible and epic for people to see.”
