Disney CEO Bob Iger shares that he was one of the main supporters of Black Panther, and he badly wanted it to happen.

Hailed as one of, if not the best, Marvel flick to date, Black Panther is directed and co-written by Creed helmer, Ryan Coogler. Boasting an ensemble cast of mostly black actors - from veterans like Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett to rising stars such as Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong’o, the movie was lauded for the social and political undertones it brought the comic book movie genre sandbox.

Sitting down for an interview with Vogue regarding the many highlights of his career as the chief executive officer of the House of Mouse, Iger singled out Marvel Studios’ Black Panther as one of the films that he was really rooting for to be made. “I badly wanted this movie. To have a black director, a black producer, a black cast. Look around. It means something," he said, referring to Coogler, producer Nate Moore, and the spectacular cast of brilliant actors led by Boseman.

Black Panther had long been in development in Marvel Studios, with a reference to Wakanda already present in Iron Man 2. But it wasn’t until 2016’s Captain America: Civil War when the hidden technological kingdom and its people, including T’Challa, made their debut. Despite his limited screen time in the threequel, the current iteration of the Black Panther was quickly a fan-favorite. And just this February, his first standalone flick rolled out in theaters, wooing both fans and critics. The movie has even become Rotten Tomatoes’ Best Movie of All Time, edging out Wizard of Oz on the top spot.

It’s unclear why the Coogler-directed flic took this long to come to big screen considering that it’s clear that Kevin Feige and his team were already looking to incorporate Wakanda to the MCU as early as 2010. Perhaps it had something to do with the previous Marvel Company structure that forced Feige to report to Ike Perlmutter who allegedly was not the biggest fan of spending money on their films’ division, nor bringing diverse characters on the big screen. But since a new mandate demanded the MCU mastermind directly coordinate with Disney executives Alan Horn and Iger, films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel that headline women and characters of color are finally getting made, and fans can expect to see more projects like them moving forward.

MORE: Black Panther’s White Wolf Scene Was Originally Longer

Source: Vogue

  • spider-man homecoming 2 Release Date: 2019-07-02 Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26 Ant-Man 2 Release Date: 2018-07-06 captain marvel Release Date: 2019-03-08