With Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we’re finally going to see an African American superhero get his big screen due, The Falcon, who will be played by Anthony Mackie. Now there’s news that another African American hero, The Black Panther, may finally be getting his own movie.
The Black Panther first hit the shelves in 1966 in issue #52 of The Fantastic Four before there was even a Black Panther Party, and he was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Panther was Marvel’s first African American superhero, and he was a member of the Fantastic Four. There have been reports here and there about a Black Panther film being in the works for years, and now MTV tells us that Morris Chestnut (Boys N the Hood, Kick Ass 2) is up to play the role.
The news apparently came from Chestnut himself, who tweeted, “It’s time to get familiar with the Black Panther character!” In the past, Adewale Akinnoye-Agbaje (Lost) and Dimon Hounsou (Amistad) have publically stated how much they’d love to play the character, and so did Anthony Mackie before becoming the Falcon in the next Captain America.
The Black Panther came from the African kingdom of Wakanda, and he eventually married Storm from the X-Men, who also came from Africa. The Panther’s nemesis was a villain named Ulyssess Klaw, the Master of Sound. Following The Black Panther came The Falcon in 1969, and another African American superhero, Luke Cage Hero For Hire in 1972.
While these characters didn’t last long, they absolutely made their impression and it would be great to see The Black Panther, and eventually Luke Cage, make it to the big screen in their own movies, or as part of a hero ensemble.
We’ve got a whole slew of new Marvel movies coming in the next two years leading up to Avengers 2 in 2015, and The Black Panther won’t be part of what its being called the comic giant’s “phase two” of movies, but MTV reports there’s a screenplay by Mark Bailey “that is apparently fantastic.” Flickeringmyth.com also feels Panther could be part of Marvel’s “phase three” with Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man, and the rumored big screen adaptation of Doctor Strange.
We’re all for a Black Panther movie that would indeed be very cool. With a Fantastic Four reboot also in the works, maybe he can be part of that ensemble as well, much like Iron Man and Thor and go in and out of The Avengers, and headline their own movies as well.
