Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases next week, and we attended the virtual Black Panther: Wakanda Forever press conference with the phenomenal crew. They answered questions from the press for just over half an hour about the next iteration in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the unmeasurable weight that this film carries onto its shoulders. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in theaters on November 11th.
While Wakanda Forever is looking to be a smash hit, it’s gone through quite some turmoil. Director Ryan Coogler had this to say about filming during the pandemic, as well as filming while grieving the loss of the icon that was Chadwick Boseman:
“You know, we actually started the film,like, right smack in the middle of it. And, you know, Ithink everybody experienced a sense of loneliness, youknow, during the years that followed, you know, that crisis. And it was just great to see some of these folks and give ’em a big giant hug again, you know what I mean? … And what we were all processing, you know, it’s things that people go through, this feeling of grief andloss. But it’s also great when you don’t have to do it alone, you know?
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Grief doesn’t always bring sadness and this film does a fantastic job of showing this. Producer Nate Moore had this to say about what kind of emotions were displayed in the film and why:
“Yeah. I mean, I think, as storytellers, you just wanna be as honest as possible with what the characters would experience in the film after they experience the loss
of T’Challa. And that is not just grief, to your point… It’s also sometimes joy, sometimes humor. It is all of the emotions anyone feels with any profound loss. But we had such a collection of talent and such a collection of characters, who all have a different point of view with that loss, that I think Ryan found ways to express all the
Namor is a character and has wanted to see on the big screen for a long time, and Tenoch Huerta said this when finally bringing this character to life and becoming the big bad of this film:
“It is tricky, when you have a characterlike this, because you are the antagonist…You gonna destroy something that is [viable?], notjust in the story, but the people, you know? The people outside. A lot of people feel identification with Wakanda,and I’m include myself in Wakanda, and the narrative andrepresentation and everything. So, now I have to play the bad guy who destroy, or try to destroy that legacy. And but at the same time, I think Ryan, the script, and, you know, he found a way to make it human.”
Although the entire cast had to shift their moods from the first film, it seems Shuri is hit with this the hardest as in the first film she was a gleam of light always waiting to crack a joke, and now having to deal with the loss of the person who gave her that light. Letitia Wright had this to say about the duality of emotion displayed throughout the two films:
“We meet her inthe first film and she is that ray of sunshine. She’s soclothed and protected in royalty and love. And proud of her big brother taking the step, following on his father’slegacy. And she just wants to create. And I love Shuri in the first one because there was no limit to her, as well.It was like she [laughs] was the person her brother went to for his protection, his armor. And heencouraged that. Her family encouraged her to be a genius and to be faithfully and wonderfully made. So, we follow on from that. What does that look like, when your heart is broken? And I think it was just Ryan’s guidance on how dowe create a full arc of this human being? “
Danai Guria is an actress you will rarely ever see play a character that can be described as vulnerable, but that’s exactly what she is in this film. Here’s ‘s what she had to say about taking on this drastic change:
“Well, you know, there are
two sides of me. You know, there’s the side that’s like,
you know, gets it, and the side that’s like, whoa, whoa,whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, really? Do we have to? And so yeah, definitely that came out when I first heard it. And then the other side took over and understood that this was actually great. And I’m very thankful for the idea that these characters get to explore so many facets of their humanness. You know, and Ithink that that is something that is crucial, honestly, with a platform this unprecedented, is that we see all these, you know, a kaleidoscope of their humanness and the world gets to see that.”
It’s clear this film is packed to be an emotional rollercoaster and succeeds in doing so. Watch Black Panther Wakanda Forever in theaters on November 11th.
