There is a lot of variety in the storytelling of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the overall reputation is for making fun movies featuring a lot of jokes, there are a few titles in the franchise that take themselves very seriously. We can generally get a larger sense of each project's tone months before it comes out -- but just in case you couldn't get a full read on Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, we can confirm that the film will be one of Marvel's more dramatic endeavors. Producer Nate Moore told us,
I think tonally this does veer more toward [Captain America: The] Winter Soldier than it does Guardians or Ant-Man or some of our more overtly comedic films. I think the fun comes from the interaction of these characters and I think as much as even Panther tends to be serious, Shuri doesn't always have to be serious. Okoye is a lot of fun. The character of Nakia who Lupita Nyong'o plays is a lot of fun. It's surrounding him, much like we did with Cap, with characters who can bring out different colors. It won't be Guardians. Hopefully it's still entertaining without breaking what makes Panther 'Panther.'
Early last year I had the incredible opportunity to fly out to Atlanta, Georgia and join a small group of journalists for a visit to the set of Black Panther while it was still in production -- and it was during a roundtable interview with Nate Moore that we got the full scoop on the feature's approach. As he is generally portrayed in the comics, T'Challa will apparently be a largely dramatic figure, which will be heavily reflected in the narrative of the movie, but that doesn't mean that the blockbuster won't still be bringing the funny. In fact, it sounds like some of the key female characters surrounding him are going to be seriously fun to watch.
This certainly makes all the sense in the world. The Black Panther of Marvel Comics knows how to occasionally kick back and relax, but being both a nation's king and most trusted warrior also doesn't give him a lot of time to slack off. What's more, the start of this new movie will not only see him still coming to terms with the assassination of his father, but also trying to convince the people of Wakanda that he is the right man to lead them into the future. None of that is going to leave him a ton of time to come up with crafty one-liners or bits, fully explaining the more intense tone.
Considering that Marvel Studios put out three comedies in 2017 (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok), it will be nice for Black Panther to arrive and change things up a bit. And thankfully we don't have to wait much longer for that. The Ryan Coogler film, which stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, and more, is set to arrive in theaters on February 16th -- and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our extensive coverage from the set!
