What Should Come Next for Black Panther after Loss of Boseman
2020-09-12
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1Film company Marvel Studios has some difficult decisions to make as it plans the sequel to Black Panther.
2The 2018 release was Hollywood's first major superhero film centered on Black characters.
3It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
4It won three Oscars.
5In the film, Chadwick Boseman starred as T'Challa, who rules the imaginary African nation of Wakanda as the Black Panther with his superpowers.
6Critics praised the actor for his performance and he was expected to return to the part in the sequel.
7But sadly, Boseman died of cancer on August 28.
8He was 43 years old.
9Writers, professors and activists spoke to Reuters news agency about the cultural importance of the movie and Boseman's performance.
10Some said Marvel should honor Boseman by retiring the character of T'Challa and choosing another character to name as Black Panther.
11Jamil Smith writes for Rolling Stone magazine.
12He says the moviemakers should follow the story of the comic book series on which it is based.
13In the series, T'Challa is severely hurt by an enemy and the character Shuri, his sister, becomes Black Panther.
14The actor Letitia Wright played the character in the movie.
15Smith told Reuters news agency, "We've seen her in action. We've seen her in the middle of these fights. Why would we not think she'd have the courage and strength to become the next Black Panther?"
16Another possibility suggested is for the sequel to become a prequel --- telling the story of Black Panther as a young boy.
17"Does (his character) come back as little Black Panther?" said Nicol Turner Lee.
18She is a public policy researcher at the Brookings Institution.
19"Does Disney honor the imagination of young boys and girls who looked up to him?"
20Disney and Marvel chose not to comment when Reuters asked about their plans.
21On August 30, Disney honored Boseman by broadcasting the movie on television followed by a special program about the actor.
22Black Panther first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1966.
23The company's former writer and publisher, Stan Lee, created the character.
24The 2018 movie was hugely popular.
25It cost $200 million to make and earned $1.35 billion from movie goers.
26Marvel had planned to begin production of Black Panther 2 in March 2021 and release it the following year.
27But the company said it suspended plans following Boseman's death.
28The movie came after years of criticism about the lack of actors and filmmakers of color in Hollywood.
29Black Panther crushed the belief that Black films cannot be hugely successful, said Nicol Turner Lee.
30She said the film proves that being inclusive sells.
31Black Panther also hit movie theaters at a time of growing racial tension in the U.S.
32Alan Jenkins is a professor at Harvard Law School.
33"One part of what made the film so important was the world of Wakanda and the idea of an African nation unchained by colonialism, slave trade, exploitation. It had dignity, brilliance and technology."
34Today Black Panther may be even more meaningful, as Black Americans suffer more from COVID-19 and police abuses than whites, cultural experts say.
35The idea of Wakanda provides safety from that suffering.
36"The film certainly didn't cause the activism of today - that was from the tragic killing of George Floyd and others," said Jenkins.
37But, he said it helped people "see new realities and imagine a world that is more just and equitable than the one in which we live."
38I'm Alice Bryant.
1Film company Marvel Studios has some difficult decisions to make as it plans the sequel to Black Panther. 2The 2018 release was Hollywood's first major superhero film centered on Black characters. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won three Oscars. 3In the film, Chadwick Boseman starred as T'Challa, who rules the imaginary African nation of Wakanda as the Black Panther with his superpowers. Critics praised the actor for his performance and he was expected to return to the part in the sequel. 4But sadly, Boseman died of cancer on August 28. He was 43 years old. 5Writers, professors and activists spoke to Reuters news agency about the cultural importance of the movie and Boseman's performance. Some said Marvel should honor Boseman by retiring the character of T'Challa and choosing another character to name as Black Panther. 6Jamil Smith writes for Rolling Stone magazine. He says the moviemakers should follow the story of the comic book series on which it is based. In the series, T'Challa is severely hurt by an enemy and the character Shuri, his sister, becomes Black Panther. The actor Letitia Wright played the character in the movie. 7Smith told Reuters news agency, "We've seen her in action. We've seen her in the middle of these fights. Why would we not think she'd have the courage and strength to become the next Black Panther?" 8Another possibility suggested is for the sequel to become a prequel --- telling the story of Black Panther as a young boy. 9"Does (his character) come back as little Black Panther?" said Nicol Turner Lee. She is a public policy researcher at the Brookings Institution. "Does Disney honor the imagination of young boys and girls who looked up to him?" 10Disney and Marvel chose not to comment when Reuters asked about their plans. On August 30, Disney honored Boseman by broadcasting the movie on television followed by a special program about the actor. 11Wakanda forever 12Black Panther first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1966. The company's former writer and publisher, Stan Lee, created the character. 13The 2018 movie was hugely popular. It cost $200 million to make and earned $1.35 billion from movie goers. Marvel had planned to begin production of Black Panther 2 in March 2021 and release it the following year. But the company said it suspended plans following Boseman's death. 14The movie came after years of criticism about the lack of actors and filmmakers of color in Hollywood. 15Black Panther crushed the belief that Black films cannot be hugely successful, said Nicol Turner Lee. She said the film proves that being inclusive sells. 16Black Panther also hit movie theaters at a time of growing racial tension in the U.S. 17Alan Jenkins is a professor at Harvard Law School. 18"One part of what made the film so important was the world of Wakanda and the idea of an African nation unchained by colonialism, slave trade, exploitation. It had dignity, brilliance and technology." 19Today Black Panther may be even more meaningful, as Black Americans suffer more from COVID-19 and police abuses than whites, cultural experts say. The idea of Wakanda provides safety from that suffering. 20"The film certainly didn't cause the activism of today - that was from the tragic killing of George Floyd and others," said Jenkins. But, he said it helped people "see new realities and imagine a world that is more just and equitable than the one in which we live." 21I'm Alice Bryant. 22Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 23________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25sequel - n. a book or movie that continues a story begun in another book or movie 26comic book - n. a magazine that presents a story in the form of a comic strip, typically featuring the adventures of a superhero 27character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie or television show 28exploitation - n. the act of using someone in a way that helps you unfairly 29dignity - n. a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important or serious and should be treated in an appropriate way 30brilliance - n. exceptional talent or intelligence