Marvel is more than ever balancing on a razor’s edge to determine if its broad approach to releasing movies and TV series will resonate with audiences or fall flat. Actor Lupita Nyong’o of Black Panther disclosed that the comic book executives were doubtful of the movie’s prospects in the expanding cinematic canon, even though fans frequently find themselves gazing back through rose-colored glasses at the many narrative and financial successes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Nyong’o spoke at a BFI London Film Festival press conference about her new DreamWorks movie, The Wild Robot. She related how Marvel was worried about Black Panther during its development. Nyong’o stated that although the Black Panther character had massive success in his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Marvel was concerned about whether fans would still be open to the superhero in his solo film. This would be the first Black-led superhero movie in the MCU, excluding Blade.
When Nyong’o’s agent informed her that “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler was considering casting her as Nakia, Nyong’o disclosed that she had been in talks to star in another Marvel film, which she remained silent about.
“I called Ryan, and he explained to me this narrative about this made-up African nation, and his idea of making it even more politically astute and relevant than the comic book that it was based off of,” Nyong’o recollected, “And when he finished, I said, ‘Wait – this is a Marvel movie? This is Disney?’ And he’s like, Yeah. And I’m like, ‘Is this your wish or is this what they [agreed to]?’ And he was like, ‘No, no, no, they’re on board!”
“There was a lot of fear, definitely from the executives… Marvel was shaking a little bit in their boots,” Nyong’o stated, “We were too because we were like, we only get to do this once. And we gotta do it right.”
And then the trailer dropped, and we were like ‘Whaaaat this is huge!’ I remember we were in a group chat. We were sharing memes and [saying] look at how the world is responding.”
Thankfully, as Nyong’o put it, “Black Panther totally shattered the myth that Black doesn’t sell ” and became one of Marvel’s biggest hits. Within 26 days, the movie crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide.
Lupita hasn’t held back when expressing her excitement to be a part of the Black Panther cast, but it was a clip of her with the late Chadwick Boseman‘s T’Challa that had her talking about the film’s legacy at the BFI London Film Festival. Nyong’o went silent while seeing the footage, and then she revealed that she hadn’t seen the movie since Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Nyong’o became good friends with T’Challa and portrayed Nakia, his romantic interest, alongside Boseman in the film. Due to Boseman’s demise, director Ryan Coogler rewrote the plot of the Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever to honor him and give his co-stars time to grieve.
“The grief is the love, and no place to put it,” Nyong’o said. I don’t want [to] run away from the tears or the grief. You just live with it. That experience will never be separate from the love that formed,” After allegedly graciously declining to proceed to another Black Panther clip.
She continued: “I watch this clip and I’m filled with grief and I don’t know whether I’ll ever be done shedding tears from losing my friend. But I’m like, we get to see him alive. And that’s so wonderful.”
The Wild Robot is now showing in theaters.
Were you surprised by the success of Black Panther? Do you still miss Chadwick Boseman?