Now more than ever, Marvel is walking a tightrope to see if the gun style in its film and TV show lineup will appeal to audiences or miss the mark. While fans are often caught wearing rose-colored glasses when looking back at the many triumphs of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in storytelling and box office, Black Panther actress Lupita Nyong’o revealed that top comic book execs were unsure of the film’s prospects in its growing cinematic universe.
During a press trip for the new Disney film The Harder They Fall at the BFI London Film Festival, Nyong’o recounted how Marvel was nervous about Black Panther while in production. Despite the massive success of the Black Panther character in its first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Nyong’o said Marvel was concerned if fans would continue to embrace the superhero in his standalone film – the film that would also be the first black-led superhero film in the MCU (not counting Blade).
Nyong’o said: “There was a lot of fear, certainly from the executives… Marvel was a little shaky in their boots.” “We were too because we were like, we can only do this once. And we have to do it right. And thankfully, as Nyong’o pointed out, Black Panther “completely shattered the myth that Black superheroes don’t sell” and quickly became one of Marvel’s most successful films.
While Nyong’o did not shy away from her excitement to join the Black Panther cast, what pushed her aside about the film’s legacy at the BFI London Film Festival was watching a clip of her and T’Challa director Chadwick Boseman. According to The Hollywood Reporter, watching the clip moved Nyong’o to tears and later prompted her to reveal that she had not watched the film since Boseman’s death in 2020 due to colon cancer.
Nyong’o not only played Nakia opposite Boseman but also became his close friend in real life. Boseman’s death led director Ryan Coogler to revise the story of Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever to honor Boseman’s death, allowing both the cinema audience and stars involved with Boseman to mourn his passing.
At BFI #LFF, Lupita Nyong’o began to cry after seeing a clip of her with Chadwick Boseman in #BlackPanther – which she says she hasn’t watched since the actor’s death in 2020: “Grief is love and there is nowhere to put it”. pic.twitter.com/avxpEKShHW
– The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 14, 2024
Nyong’o said: “Grief is love, and there is nowhere to put it.” I don’t want to escape the tears or the sorrow. You just live with it. Nyong’o said, after politely refusing to move on to another experience: “This experience will never be separated from the love it formed.” Black Panther clip.
She continued: “I watch this clip and I feel sorrow and I don’t know if I’ll ever finish shedding tears over losing my friend. But I love that we see him alive. And that’s amazing.”
The Harder They Fall is now playing in theaters.
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