Yesterday Marvel treated us to a huge batch of images from its upcoming superhero blockbuster Black Panther [see here], and now star Chadwick Boseman has been chatting to Entertainment Weekly about the hotly-anticipated film, discussing T’Challa’s mindset following the death of his father in Captain America: Civil War, as well as the role of the villains Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis).
“It’s shortly after Civil War has ended so he’s still in mourning,” states Boseman. “There’s a guilt in terms of taking the throne. There’s a feeling that he wishes that his father would have been alive to see it, if he would have given up the thrown for being too old. That’s the ideal way. His mindset is one of guilt and unsureness because he doesn’t have [his father] there. Generally, there is unrest because there’s no leader on the throne. We’re dealing with a similar thing right now in this country. Just because a person was elected doesn’t mean everybody agrees with the things he’s going to do. Having to make the first decisions … what do you do first? What do you choose to do that’s going to get everybody on your side? It’s a political drama essentially.”
“Klaue is the real villain,” he continues. “I can say that I identify with Killmonger’s character. It’s going to be a fun character. He definitely has a different point of view. They are polar opposites. A superhero movie is only as great as its villains. I think they both provide a piece of that. You have Wakanda, which is an isolationist society, Klaue has entered that space and knows more about it than anybody else. Because of that, he is a threat. Not to mention that he’s accessed this gift that could also be a curse to the rest of the world… A lot of times when we talk about Vibranium we talk about it as if it’s, like, nuclear. It’s not a nuclear weapon but with the flexibly and versatility of it, it can do a lot of things. The fact that he has accessed that and has the mind to use it for evil is the key thing. Most people don’t know what it is and what can be done with it. He is the Osama bin Laden of the movie. He’s out there, and you have to go find him because he’s coming back at some point in time.”
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
Black Panther sees Ryan Coogler (Creed) directing Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa alongside Lupita Nyong’o (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Nakia, Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four) as Erik Killmonger, Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead) as Okoye, Winston Duke (Person of Interest) as M’Baku, Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett (American Horror Story) as Ramonda, Florence Kasumba (Captain America: Civil War) as Ayo, Martin Freeman (Captain America: Civil War) as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis (Captain America: Civil War) as Ulysses Klaue, Letitia Wright (Ready Player One) as Shuri and Nabiyah Be as Nightshade. The film is set for release on February 16th, 2018.
Originally published July 13, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
