Marvel's 'Black Panther' is basically James Bond meets 'The Godfather' and OMG just give it to us now
Much like the nation of Wakanda itself, Marvel's Black Panther has been under a thick shroud of secrecy.
But with that release date inching ever closer, Black Panther is finally ready to open its doors. A whole host of new details have been unveiled. And, guys, it looks so worth the wait.
Black Panther is the 18th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the franchise's first superhero movie with a black lead has a vibe all its own. Specifically, producer Nate Moore told Entertainment Weekly, it's "sort of a cross between James Bond and The Godfather." Expect "a big, operatic family drama centered around a world of international espionage."
On the Godfather side, we've got T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) ascending to the Wakandan throne following his father's death in Captain America: Civil War. This transitional period sees several factions vying for power, including five influential families. Hmm, sounds like there might be some Game of Thrones in this mix as well.
There's also Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), a Wakandan who dislikes the way T'Challa's doing things and has his own ideas about how the country should be run. In a bid for power, he allies with an outsider – arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), who's after Wakanda's rich supply of Vibranium. (That's the same rare metal that Cap's shield is made out of.)
Meanwhile, it might surprise you to learn that the James Bond in this story isn't necessarily T'Challa, but Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) – an undercover operative and T'Challa's ex. "Her job is to go out into the world and report back on what's going on," explained Nyong'o.
At some point, her mission involves a luxury casino set that looks like it could be straight out of Skyfall – go here to look. Honestly, Marvel, what do we have to do to get a spinoff franchise that's just about Nakia 007-ing around the world?
Also involved in this story are Okoye (Danai Gurira), head of the all-female special forces unit known as the Dora Milaje; Ramonda (Angela Bassett), T'Challa's mother and now royal advisor; Shuri (Letitia Wright), T'Challa's tech-genius sister; W'Kabi (Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya), T'Challa's best friend and palace advisor; Zuri (Forest Whitaker), a shaman who watches over a mystical superpower-granting herb; and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), a CIA agent and liaison to Wakanda.
It's a lot to take in right now, but somehow still not enough – we're dying for more. Just seven months to go til Black Panther hits on February 16 ...
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