Today’s meeting is set to be a good one, folks! We get to talk about one of my favorite heroes in the Marvel Universe. A comic that I’ve been eagerly waiting to be adapted to film. The one and only, Black Panther. The first black superhero of American mainstream comics, Black Panther has had an extreme effect on me. As a kid, I found solace in visiting the worlds of the black heroic icons that both Marvel and D.C. have created in their publications. Recently, however, I’ve found myself having to take a refresher course in all things BP, remembering all the amazing stories and locations that his story takes you on. With Marvel having a huge resurgence in the public eye with everything that Kevin Fiege has been doing with Marvel Studios, They’re taking some time to bring to light more of Marvel’s diverse universe of characters and environments.

Who is the Black Panther?

Before I start the fan casting, for those that don’t know lets talk a little bit about who Black Panther is and the world he lives in. The Black Panther has always been the symbol of leadership and protection in the country of Wakanda. Wakanda itself is an advanced African nation in the Marvel Universe that is the soul source of the vibration absorbing Vibranium (the same material used to make Captain America’s shield)  Although many have held the office of Black Panther, Marvel Comics focus’ on the rise and rule of T’Challa as the Panther after the death of his father, T’Chaka at the hands of Ulysses Klaw.

T’Chaka was killed while T”Challa was still a child, so his Uncle S’Yan takes the mantle until he is of age and takes his Wakandan rite of passage. While on this rite of passage, T’Challa meets a young Ororo Munroe (known to most as the X-man, Storm), the two fall in love, but end the relationship due to T’Challa’s desire to take revenge for his father and be the man that he needs to be to lead his people and protect his nation. So to earn his title and attributes of the Black Panther by defeating the best warriors of other tribes (i.e. the White Gorilla Tribe, Lion Tribe, and Crocodile Tribe).

Once he was back in his country, after his rite of passage and the completion of his studies, He invited the fantastic four to his country, where he defeated them all to prove his skills as Wakanda’s leader and protector. After making the proper amends to the team, they allied with him in his effort to take down Klaw, thus helping complete his vengeance.

Where Would Marvel Go?

Marvel Studios has told a variety of different origin stories all with their new characters, and have done so using different film genres to do so. This is what makes Marvel such an intelligent production company. They see these stories for the potential that they have. Not only are they superhero movies, but they tell stories in different styles. You have the epic space-opera Odyssey that is Guardians of the Galaxy; the Period War Drama of Captain America: The First Avenger; there’s also the Spy Thriller of Captain America: Winter Soldier; There’s the epic Fantasy and “Magic” of Thor; and the Wanderer Western of the The Incredible Hulk is also another genre that Marvel has explored.

Obviously, the first movie would need to tell the origin of the Black Panther mantle in some shape or form as well as tell the rise of T’Challa as the Black Panther. What direction would Marvel go in this story? They’ve already mentioned they will be making an attempt at horror with the development of Doctor Strange, which will prove to be a most interesting genre to pursue in the telling of the superhero story. So, what would be the option for Black Panther? If you ask me, I say pursue a story that is in  the same vein as an epic Sword-and-Sandal tale. It’s the coming of age tale of a Warrior and Leader of a nation. It’s already framed to be big. So if they tell it I hope they go as big as they can.

The Panther’s Introduction to the Avengers

Marvel has already stated that they plan to have Black Panther in production soon, and, also, some of the shooting for Avenger’s 2 has been shot in South Africa. Now the location could be of no consequence, but it could also mean that they plan to introduce the idea of the Panther, if not, at least Wakanda and it’s Vibranium deposit in the next Avengers film.

For the Sake of Adaptation

Now with licensing, Marvel doesn’t have the ability to be as authentic to the original content as I’m sure they would like. One thing is the fact that Black Panther’s first encounter with Marvel heroes is with the Fantastic Four, but Fox has the rights to those characters at the moment. This minor hiccup is something that can be handled, because he’s joining the avengers anyway, so, I’m sure they can easily swap the FF for the Avengers easily.

A big part of T’Challa’s story that will need to be revamped is his romantic connection to Storm. It’s sad, T’Challa and Storm’s story is one of the greatest comic book love stories, but, since the character is currently owned by Fox who is handling the story of the X-men we will never get a chance to see T’Challa and Ororo’s chemistry on-screen. This story will have to play up another one of Panther’s love interests, Monica Lynne, an american singer that T’Challa meets on one of his visits to the States. There’s an opportunity to tell an interesting story here in the fact that both characters are worlds apart. I’m sure Monica would be the type of woman who would intrigue T’Challa being that she wouldn’t be so easily swayed by his royal blood, different, I’m sure from the women that he’s use to.

Another part of the story which may prove to be difficult in adapting is whether or not they will decide to discuss T’Challa’s stepmother’s, Ramonda (The Queen Mother), kidnapping. It leaves a part of the story for which they can use to further prove T’Challa’s mettle, but with Marvel Studios seeming to stick with their PG-13 ratings, the kidnapping and subsequent abuse of Ramonda while held captive could possibly be too much. I don’t think it’s out of the question, but it’s difficult to hold on to a PG-13 with these kinds of themes.

Marvel’s Story of the Panther

The story that Marvel decides to tell will play a big role in how he plays into the bigger scope of the Avengers. Will they have him take leadership of his country by the end of the film? What age are they deciding on playing? I think the origin story will definitely be told here to its completion. Ulysses Klaw will definitely be the main villain of the film considering that he is the ultimate reason T’Challa needs to become the Black Panther. It will be an exploratory look at what quintessentially makes T’Challa him and worthy to take the Black Panther mantle. At its core, Black Panther is probably going to be a Quest movie, T’Challa will be looking for the Panther spirit within himself. He’ll be searching for answers as to who his father was and what defined him as a great leader and man, all the while remembering the lessons he taught him as a child.

Now, for the first movie, the cast will primarily consist of people who contribute to T’Challa’s growth as a character. As the sequels progress, T’Challa’s challenges and risks will grow much more. To start this story Marvel will most likely keep the individuals that contribute to the origin of the Black Panther:

• T’Chaka: T’Challa’s father and the first Black Panther
• N’Yana: T’Challa’s birth mother
• Romonda: T’Challa’s step mother
• S’Yan: T’Chaka’s brother and uncle of T’Challa, he holds the mantle of the Black Panther while T’Challa is in training.
• Suri: T’Challa’s sister and rival. She has always wanted the Black Panther mantle, but respects her brother while he is in power. T’Challa does train her so that one day she might be able to take the title should the need ever arise.
• Ulysses Klaw: The villain that slays T’Chaka and is T’Challa’s target of revenge.
• M’Baku (Man-Ape): The strongest warrior from the White Gorilla tribe and one of the Panther’s adversaries.
• Monica Lynne: a singer from the U.S. that T’Challa meets and falls in love with on his travels
• T’Challa: son of T’Chaka and the Black Pather of the Marvel Universe. After the murder of his Father, T’Challa trains to take his rightful place as the next Black Panther.
• Everett Ross: A U.S. State Department employee, whose job was to escort foreign diplomats on American soil. His world changed forever when he was assigned to T’Challa, the Black Panther.

Panther Interest

There’s been a lot of actors that have mentioned interest in playing this character. Actually, come to think of it, when actors are approached for superhero roles they become interested in the potential role that they are being called for. Black Panther, however, is a hero that is named with quite specificity by actors interested in playing the role. All of this happening before anyone has even been called for a chance. Outside of Batman and Superman of D.C., the chance to play the role of the Black Panther has a level of interest that displays how iconic the character is. Here are a few of the actors that have all expressed an interest in playing the role of T’Challa on the big screen:

Panther Picks

Now for the main event! How Marvel studios casts the Black Panther will play a role in the types of picks they’ll make. Will they make him a young character? Will he be aged? What position will he play on the Avengers? If they are setting up to have another Avengers team, what bearing does this have on the casting? They’ll need to find someone who will not only be able to tell the drama of T’Challa’s story but will also be able to believably embody the physical prowess of the Panther. At this point, it depends on where they end the story.

Child T’Challa

For this there were two choices for me. At this point in T’Challa’s life, there has to be a young actor who can pull off being hardened by a tragic event. The weight of the world on their shoulders and whatnot.

This young actor has been making his rounds in film and tv for a little while now and has made one heck of an impact. Paticularly his role in the movie LUV alongside Common, Rainey has displayed an ability unlike most. When hes on s

This little guys been on a few shows I’ve seen as of late and manages to leave an impression every time. Id like to see what he has to offer the big screen.

 Young T’Challa

The interesting thing about this section is this will be predicated by what Marvel decides to do with this story, and how much of T’Challas past we will be exploring. Another factor will also be where they decide to end the story. Will they make him older or will they stay at this

Boyega is a new comer that looks to be having a promising career. I’ve recently seen clips of him in a film with Chiwitel Ejiofor called Half the Yellow Sun which tests his dramatic prowess as an actor. He also has a role in the new Star wars VII movie coming up, so it will interesting to see what he pulls in that film. I think he would contribute a lot to the Black Panther mythos.

This young actor from the U.K. has been rising up. He most recently can be seen as Alby in the Maze Runner and did an amazing job as the leader of the maze group. He’s also been in The Butler and Red Tails

T’Challa the Black Panther

T’Challa is an iconic character in Marvel and will need to be portrayed by an individual with the chops to make the role extraordinary. I’ve been pushing for Chadwick Boseman for a while and would love to see him in the role, but there are others who show strong capability to do so.

Chadwick has been my front runner for this role for a while now. He’s an epic talent that his proven his dedication to acting and putting his best work on film. He’s gather sort of a track record of playing iconic characters in black history. However fictional, T’Challa is one of those iconic characters. Boseman has proven that he has the chops to crush this role.

Ejiofor is a force to be reckoned with on the big screen he has the force necessary to bring an elegance to the character of T’Challa. He has also proven that he has the skill to carry out the physical demands of the role.

Parker is an up and coming talent that has had strength in supporting cast roles. He has the potential to be a great leading man but just needs the opportunity. This could be his chance. Dramatic roles are his forte but I’d be interested to see what he would do in an action heavy role.

Update: Chadwick Boseman has been cast as T’Challa for the Black Panther movie slated for release on November 3, 2017! Great news as to the fact that most of my fan casting centers on him playing the role.

The Remaining Cast

Black Panther (T’Chaka)

T’Challa’s father will need to have the presence and strength necessary to demonstrate the power and history of the Black Panther mantle and dully show the care that he has as a husband and a father. Though his screen time will be brief, his character will have a profound effect on our hero.

The thing about Djimon is this: He’s played a role for Marvel before playing Korath the Pursuer. Marvel generally doesn’t double dip especially if you’ve been visually seen in a role. His familiarity with the role would afford him an interesting opportunity to dig in.

Peter Mensah is another great talent that has a presense of strength in his roles. His work on Sparticus was brilliant as the Doctori

Adewale has had some decent roles in his career. From the Mummy Returns, Get Rich or Die Trying, G.I. Joe, and the Bourne Identity, he’s made some interesting choices in the roles that he plays that vary drastically. It shows he has range. One thing that maintains consistency in the roles that he plays is the strength that he exhibits in each role. I know his interest in the role would show through playing T’Chaka and he’d bring something interesting to the table.

S’Yan

S’Yan will be playing a mentor to T’Challa but will also need to have the strength and resolve to carry the mantle of the Black Panther. Who can successfully pull off the role of the Black Panther while T’Challa rises to the occasion? Here are my top three choices.

The thing I like about Eamon’s career is that whether good or bad, his characters always have an extraordinary strength that commands respect. I would love to see Walker carry the mantle if only for a little while. He has a regal air to him and I think would serve as a wonderful father figure to T’Challa.

Michael K. Williams has expressed much interest in being apart of this film. I, however, haven’t seen him stand out much in the things that I’ve viewed him in. I would however, like to see him branch out and play an interesting supporting role in this mythos. He’d do well as T’Challa’s uncle S’yan

Dennis Haysbert has already proven that he can lead a country (for those 24 fans) and you have to admit, in everything that he does he commands respect. I think that he could pull this role off successfully and provide guidance to the character of T’Challa.

Monica Lynne

Monica Lynne was a temporary character originally in the comics, but with Storm out of the equation, She will most likely serve to represent both women. As the love interest of T’Challa she will need to be equally beautiful and witty. T’Challa will most like have found his match in this woman. She has to be the Queen to his King, his equal in every sense. Here’s my three picks:

Currently starring on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow. She has shown the toughness that this character will need. Honestly, I loved the chemistry she had with Chadwick Boseman in 42, she matched him and challenged him all the while being able to gracefully stand by him. She is an incredible actress I’ve seen most of her films and would love to see where she goes in the future. I think she would fit well here.

What can I say? This is definitely a selfish pick. Sanaa is gorgeous and has an incredible talent as an actress. She’s been in some pretty intriguing dramas. She’s has a thriller coming up called the perfect man which from the description is going to be on some next level stalker-wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing. I’d love to see her on the marvel team again (remember she was Blade’s Mom??)

Tika Sumpter is definitely an interesting pick. She’s done most of her work on soap opera’s and she has a presence that leaves an impact. She could prove to show Monica in a saucy light. I’d love to see her character give T’Challa a hard time at first as he wins her over.

M’Baku (Man-Ape)

M’Baku is a beast of a man and one of Black Panther’s key nemesi in the comic. I would love to see M’Baku challenge T’Challa in combat and be the climax to his rite of passage story. In all honestly my one and only front running pick here is Nonso Anozie.

Everett Ross

Everett K. Ross is government envoy that is an expert in all things Wakandan. He plays liaison of T’Challa and his go to man while he is the ambassador for Wakanda in the states. Everett Ross will prove to be a friend and ally to T’Challa. His character creates a lot of room for comic relief. So here are my choices

Bateman as a comedic actor is incredible. His work on Hancock is what lends me to believing he can play the role of Ross.

No stranger to all things geek, Tudyk stands out as a top choice for the role of Ross. Even though there are light moments with his character, there is still potential for heavy action, and I think Tudyk can carry out those tasks easily while still maintaining the energy of Ross.

He has a propensity for roles of the awkward intelligence guy. I think he’d bring his own brand of energy to the Role of Ross.

Ulysses Klaw

Ulysses Klaw is the main villain of Black Panther and will embody the target of T’Challa vengeance. Klaw will need to be cold, greedy, and power-hungry. These three actors would bring an interesting presence to the role.

Come on! It’s Sean Bean, he’s an amazing actor and Marvel has a nack for hiring massive talent when they can. There’s nothing wrong with wrong with hiring great talent. Thor hit by casting Anthony Hopkins as Odin. Bean is of the same caliber

Mads doesn’t get as much play as I think that he deserves. He is currently starring as Hannibal Lecter in the show of the same name. He plays very cold and calculated characters which I think would brilliantly translate for Klaw.

As I said before, there’s nothing wrong with acquiring talent. Christoph Waltz is definitely that. I don’t think anything I’ve seen him in was bad. He could bring his own interpretation to this role and do extremely well.

Update: Now this is not really set in stone, but the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer shows Andy Serkis in one of the shots and he looks eerily similar to Ulysses Klaw in his current incarnations. the question will be: is Serkis playing Klaw?

Ramonda

Ramonda (Queen Mother) may not be T’Challa’s birth mother, but she’s played a big role in his upbringing. She will serve as his compassionate guide in his journey. When it comes to roles that may not take up much screen time, talent will be necessary to make an impact. These actresses have the ability to bring something special to the role.

When the first X-men came out Okenado was one of my picks to play Storm. She’s had a career of incredible dramatic roles and I would love to see her play this motherly advisory role in Black Panther.

Currently she’s busy with another successful show, How to Get Away with Murder so who knows if she’ll have time for this, but she’s an incredible talent and would do wonders for this franchise.

Shuri

Shuri is the younger sister of T’Challa and his rival in all things. She will need to be able to display a strength all her own, but still will have her own youth to struggle with. She’s not familiar with battle other than what she’s trained for. She will heavily be affected by the events that follow the introduction of Klaw. In the comics, she eventually becomes the Black Panther herself.

She’s played a few small roles in TV but in each she’s a scrappy ball of fire. I’d love to see what she’d do in this role if given the opportunity .

She’s an incredible talent . Singer and actress. She’s had her own iconic roles that she’s played. I think it’s interesting to note that in an interview she’s mentioned that she would love to play a comic book role. She specifically mentioned Wolfsbane which is pretty cool since she’s not a well known x-men which leads me to believe she’s a fan of the material. Respect!

Lupita is an up an coming talent that is taking the acting world by storm. she’s an academy award winning actress already! She’s going to be in the upcoming Star Wars movie so I’d be interested to see how she handles the action the movie has to offer.

As far as the direction of the movie goes, I’d love to see either Antoine Fuqua or Ridley Scott (depending on how Exodus does) at the helm of this film. Other than that, that’s all I got for you folks. Let me know what you think?