Kevin Feige explains why he’s not worried about Black Panther 2’s Oscars, acknowledging that their focus is on pleasing the audience.
While the first film received multiple nominations at the ceremony, Kevin Feige isn’t worried Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverOscar’s Chances. In the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel, the titular nation will mourn the loss of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa after the actor’s passing in mid-2020. However, their grief is cut short when they are forced to confront the invading nation of Talokan, led by Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, and must find someone to take on the mantle of Black Panther and defend Wakanda.
Ryan Coogler returns again to co-write and direct Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with the cast also featuring the return of Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman and Angela Bassett, as well as the MCU debut of Huerta, Dominique Thorne and Michaela Coel. The expectation has been high for a while Black Panther sequel since the first film came out and set multiple records for the MCU, and film as a whole, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by a black filmmaker and receiving seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It would ultimately only bring three Oscar wins, leaving many hoping for the next film to land some major awards, though one of the ghosts behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does not take this into account.
While speaking with Total movie (through ComicBook.com), Kevin Feige opened up about his thoughts on Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverOscar’s Chances. The head of Marvel explained that he and the studio weren’t worried about winning Academy nominations, choosing to focus their efforts on delivering a pleasing follow-up for audiences. See what Feige said below:
I’m not the type to predict what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will do with their precious voices. I don’t know. I do know that Ryan and the whole team approached this film the way they approached the first, which is, how do we create the best possible experience for the audience? And how do we create the best experience that people will want to repeat over and over again? That was the motivation. And something that is an incredible tribute to Chadwick’s legacy. This one rides a fine line of a real tribute yet continues the fictional story and the hope and – I just keep going back to that word – optimism that Wakanda always represents.
How Black Panther 2 Could Change Marvel’s Oscars History
Considering the time Coogler and Marvel spent reworking the story Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the wake of Boseman’s death, many hope the film will live up to the high bar of its predecessor, which remains the highest-rated MCU film on Rotten Tomatoes. The anticipation began to wane during the film’s production until the first trailers began to roll out, teasing a highly emotional story that Boseman wanted to honor while still building out the world to continue the legacy of the Black Panther. With this amount of care behind it, many are already asking for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to take home multiple Oscars ranging from the technical endeavors to Angela Bassett’s acting and Coogler’s directing.
Like its predecessor, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could change Marvel’s history at the Oscars by finally taking home one of the awards from the major categories, be it the best movie that lost the original Green Book, or Best Director, which many felt first snubbed Coogler. Since the Academy often takes a positive view of projects where a person involved has passed before or during production, even the comic genre with Heath Ledger’s win is out of line as Joker in The Dark Knight, it seems possible that the MCU sequel could be the studio’s first major success at the ceremony. Only time will tell how the reviews fare for the film leading up to Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverthe November 11 release.
Source: Total Film (via ComicBook.com)
