Marvel has scored a huge success this year with Black Panther. Not only has it proven to be a enormous hit at the box office, striking a chord with filmgoers to the tune of over $1.2 billion worldwide (not to mention topping the domestic haul of The Avengers to become the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time in the U.S.), but it has also been hailed as a massive step forward in terms of representation in film.
Speaking to EW ahead of the release of his new film Ready Player One, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg – who himself no stranger to culturally significant films – has shared some words of praise for the Marvel blockbuster and its director Ryan Coogler.
“I think Ryan Coogler did an amazing job writing and directing a movie that is culturally, perhaps, the largest cultural break-out film of the last decade,” said Spielberg. “It’s going to really change things and keep things changed for the betterment of all of us. I think the whole idea that young white kids from principally red communities are going to say ‘I want to grow up and look and be just like Black Panther.’ I think that’s a wonderful, wonderful thing that’s happening right now.”
SEE ALSO: Black Panther editor discusses two scenes that were “painfully” cut from the movie
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returnsohome 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 as Nakia, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu, John Kani as King T’Chaka and Nabiyah Be as Linda.
