Kevin Feige Comments on BLACK PANTHER Being Nominated For Best Picture

Although I enjoyed Marvel’s Black Panther, I don’t see it as Best Picture material. But, that’s the comic book film that ended up landing the nomination and it has a lot of fans that are probably ecstatic!

Maybe this being the first comic book movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar will open doors for the great comic book films that will be made in the future. Personally, I think Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse should have landed the nomination instead. That was a far superior film and it also had a positive message and celebrated diversity.

Yeah, it got the Best Animated Film nomination, but it could have gotten both! After all, Roma was nominated for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film.

As you might expect, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios are very excited that the movie was nominated and they have every right to be! Their movie, which a lot of talented people put a lot of hard work into producing got nominated! While talking to EW, Feige shared his excitement, saying:

“The word that keep coming to me from the moment it happened is just this humbling sense of pride for everyone involved in the movie.

“It’s the most important recognition that a film can receive in our industry. That’s not lost on any of us. It’s something that’s immensely gratifying. As the numerous phone calls and text messages [show] that went back and forth between all of us who were lucky enough to work on the film, it is just … pride.”

Feige went on to talk about Coogler’s vision for the film and how it inspired the Academy voters:

“I think Black Panther is a unique movie told by a unique filmmaker in a unique time. It comes down to this amazing cast and crew, and a brilliant director who had something to say. He had a very personal story and struggle to explore, and he wanted to use this movie and this canvas to tell it. Looking over the past year at the cultural impact this movie has had around the world, it feels like the recognition from the Academy this morning is the pinnacle of that.”

Feige goes on to admit that the Academy members were responding to “the message of Black Panther, and not just the message within the thematics of the film, but even the story of how the film was made, how it came together, and how it was received.” He added:

“It’s about representation, and it’s about inclusion, and it’s about the importance of telling different types of stories. That the Academy recognized that this morning is extremely gratifying to all of us.”

Congrats to the cast and crew of Black Panther for getting the nomination! You’ve got a ton fans that will be rooting for you!