Lupita Nyong'o Talks About the Fear Leading Up to the Success of BLACK PANTHER "Marvel Was Shaking in Their Boots"

Marvel’s 2018 standalone superhero film Black Panther was a big deal for the studio. The MCU was ten years into a very successful run, and this film was introducing not only a new hero, but a brand new world inside our own.

There were misleading reports throughout the years that suggested black people’s stories weren’t as marketable, and the studio was trepidatious about the film’s possible success. Luckily they put their faith in amazing writers, actors, and director Ryan Coogler, who gave us an incredible Black Panther movie.

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o plays the character Nakia in the franchise, and yesterday while attending a London Film Screen talk, she talked about how despite the film’s seven Oscar nominations, and its $1 billion payday at the box office, the film’s production wasn’t smooth sailing. 

“There was a lot of fear from the executives. Marvel was shaking in their boots and we were too because we knew we only had once chance and we had to do it right.” 

Nyong’o added that she and her Black Panther co-stars knew there was “something different” about the project so they all assumed a great deal of ownership over their performances and the wider production.

“We knew we had a lot to prove,” she said adding that she was proud of the film’s legacy and the effect it had on the audience. “People really saw themselves in the film and it totally shattered the myth that Black films don’t sell,” Nyong’o added. “We told a good story and the world responded.” 

I love Black Panther. It was an amazing movie, and it was so devastating when its star Chadwick Boseman passed away after his battle with cancer. The story has been able to go on, but it will never be the same. Black Panther changed the course of black stories in Marvel, and it will always be known as a beloved fan-favorite.

via: Deadline