42 and Captain America: Civil War put Chadwick Boseman on the map, but 2018’s Black Panther established the actor as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. While cries of “Wakanda Forever” were certain to follow him wherever he went next in his career, Boseman becoming a huge action movie star or the lead in the type of films that earn widespread acclaim and countless honours come awards season seemed inevitable. Sadly, we’ll never get to find out as his life ended yesterday after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Since 2016, Boseman – who never went public with his diagnosis – continued to work, all while undergoing treatment and surgeries which even the strongest among us would be unable to bounce back from, never mind report to countless movie sets to bring a superhero to life on screen. 

To call Chadwick Boseman brave and a warrior simply doesn’t do the man justice, and while his time here came to an end far too soon, his legacy is one that will never be forgotten. 

While he made an undeniable impact outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with hard-hitting features like 42 and Get On Up, his time as T’Challa in that comic book world was a game-changer for the genre and cinema as a whole. Grossing $1.34 billion worldwide, Black Panther dispelled the notion that movies with a Black lead could not perform well overseas (or in the U.S.), and helped open the door to superheroes being taken seriously by the Academy. Since then, there’s been a notable uptick of Black leads in both film and television, but the cultural impact the movie had is even more important than the business one. 
 

A whole generation of young people (of all races, but particularly those who are Black) were given the opportunity to see themselves reflected on screen. Black Panther is a hero to everyone, but to those who had spent years seeing Black actors pushed to the sidelines as sidekicks or supporting characters, the 2018 release changed everything. “Wakanda Forever” became a rallying cry, while the way the movie celebrated Black culture marked a huge turning point for this genre, in particular. In the wake of Black Panther‘s release, everything from initiatives to teach children more about African culture in schools to the #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe hashtag, which saw people open about their own Black identities, were launched. There are those who might argue that the movie would have had the same impact regardless of who donned the costume, but without Boseman, T’Challa would simply not be the same hero who created this swell of pride and unity.

His performances across the four Marvel movies he appeared in were flawless, and the sense of honour, fearlessness, and gravitas he brought to the role will inspire people for generations to come. There was something special about Boseman, and while everyone who worked on Black Panther behind and in front of the camera helped create the beautiful, exciting, and often awe-inspiring first superhero film to be nominated for “Best Picture,” he was the heart at the centre of that. 

Looking ahead to the future, there will be fans who can’t help but wonder whether the role will be recast in time for 2022’s Black Panther II or whether Marvel Studios might go back to the drawing board and perhaps have Letitia Wright’s Shuri inherit the mantle as she did in the comic books. Right now, it’s unfathomable to debate what comes next, but Black Panther should live on, and we should forever be grateful to Boseman for bringing him to the big screen in such an effective, memorable way. What he went through these past four years proves that he was every bit the warrior T’Challa was on screen, and shows why there was no one better to play this character. 

Wakanda has lost its King. Hollywood has lost one of its brightest stars. Chadwick Boseman’s friends and family have lost someone who meant more to them than we’ll ever know. However, the impact he had on this world won’t be forgotten.

Wakanda Forever. 
 

Information about cancer can be found by clicking here, while you can donate to Stand Up To Cancer by clicking here. 

Powered by WPeMatico

It is with a heavy heart that we report tonight that Chadwick Boseman has passed away at the age of 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

His wife and family were by his side at the time of his passing at his Los Angeles home earlier today. 

In a statement they said, “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more- all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.“

pic.twitter.com/aZ2JzDf5ai

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020

Powered by WPeMatico

The first teaser trailer for The Batman featured a lot of great moments, but it was the debut of “Oz” which really surprised fans. It’s no secret that Colin Farrell is playing the villain (who doesn’t like being called “Penguin” at this point in his career as a gangster), but the expectation was that he would be an “Emperor Penguin” version of the character. 

Instead, he’s been covered in make-up and prosthetics, and it wasn’t until one of the special effects teams working on The Batman confirmed that it was Farrell in the trailer that many people actually believed it (and even then, there are those who remain unconvinced for some reason). 

During a recent interview on Sirius XM’s Jesse Cagle Show, Jeffrey Wright, who plays Jim Gordon, revealed that even he didn’t recognise Farrell…while they were on set together! “I’ve worked with that makeup artist before and it’s just incredible,” the actor teased. “Colin walked on to set one day and I walked right passed him [laughs] I was like ‘Okay, hey dude what’s happening, where’s Colin are we going to shoot.’ It was, it’s pretty remarkable.”

Of course, what’s really interesting about this is that it seemingly confirms Jim Gordon and Oz will share the screen at some point, an indication the future Commissioner will be very hands on here.

That’s the perfect approach to the character, though what he wants with Oz remains to be seen. Which character interactions are you guys most excited to see in The Batman next October? 

Powered by WPeMatico

During a recent interview with Yahoo Movies, Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp director Peyton Reed shared an update on plans for Ant-Man 3. Very little is known about the threequel, but Rick and Morty writer Jeff Loveness is penning the screenplay, and M.O.D.O.K. is the rumoured big bad. 

Reed indicated that The Wasp will once again receive equal billing, something that makes sense now that Hope Van Dyne is stepping up as a superhero in her own right. 

“They’re a partnership, and she’s a very, very important part of that,” Reed explains. “And that was a very gratifying thing, I guess technically we were the first Marvel movie with a female hero in the title of the movie. Finding that balance in that movie, that’s very important to me because that’s very much a men’s playing field, historically. But that’s really, really changing now in a great way.”

As for where things currently stand with Ant-Man 3, Reed couldn’t say much, but it sounds like work is progressing nicely. “We have [cracked the story],” the director teased. “Nothing is official yet, but we’re quietly working. We’re working through the pandemic.”

That’s definitely good news for the franchise, and it’s going to be interesting seeing where the movie fits into Marvel Studios’ plans (there are also rumblings that it will introduce the Young Avengers).

Are you excited for Ant-Man 3?

Powered by WPeMatico

In a strange turn of events, it seems The New Mutants ended up being not that good. The film currently has a 22% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and a 56% score from the audience. During it’s initial run of marketing (before its numerous delays) there were a lot of film outlets praising the film for its horror outlets.  There were even reports that the first test screening for the film scored as well as the first Deadpool film.  Then, reports of friction between director Josh Boone started along with various rumors concerning reshoots.  That round of bad press was then followed by two years of delays.

So what happened? Well, according to New Mutants co-creator Bob McLeod, some of the film’s faults had to do with the fact that some of the onscreen actors looked nothing like their comic book counterparts. You can read his full take on the film below. 

“I was very excited when I heard they were making a New Mutants movie. I thought making it into a horror movie was perhaps an interesting idea, but not at all how the characters should be introduced to the public at large. But, hey, my characters in a movie! I never would have thought that would actually happen. But then, I was disappointed when they didn’t give Dani braids, although I like Blu Hunt. I was disappointed when Rahne wasn’t a redhead with spiky hair, although I adore Maisie Williams. I was disappointed that Sam isn’t tall and gawky, although I do like Charlie Heaton. But mainly I was very disappointed that Roberto isn’t short and dark-skinned. Yet another example of Hollywood white-washing. There’s just no excuse. So basically, #JoshBoone erased everything I contributed to the way the characters look. And now, the movie has come out at last, and apparently they’ve credited someone named Bob Macleod as co-creator. They couldn’t even be bothered to check the spelling of my name sometime in the last three years. And that can’t be fixed. That will be on the movie forever. I think I’m done with this movie.”

Based on the reviews and the current pandemic situation in the U.S. and abroad, do you plan on seeing New Mutants in theaters? There’s not a whole lot of options at the moment if you’re a cinephile jonesing to sit in a theater again after most cinemas have been shuttered for nearly 6 months.

20th Century Fox in association with Marvel Entertainment presents “The New Mutants,” an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive.

Powered by WPeMatico