What to Expect from Tessa Thompson and Jonathan Majors in ‘Creed III’

The Creed franchise was so much more than a boxing film. It’s a celebration of Black culture through the lens of an underdog sports movie. In it, we witnessed the rise of a champion in Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) who not only stepped out of his father’s shadow, a father he never knew but also faced his demons fighting his father’s killer while also telling a powerful Black love story. And we get to see how all of that evolves in Jordan’s directorial debut, Creed III.

Continue reading “What to Expect from Tessa Thompson and Jonathan Majors in ‘Creed III’”

‘Creed III’ Director Michael B. Jordan Brings Positive Change to Representation in Film

Creed III is the third chapter of the titular film franchise and marks Michael B. Jordan‘s directorial debut. While the sequel won’t see Sylvester Stallone reprising his role as Rocky Balboa, it takes Adonis Creed (Jordan) in a new direction as he is forced to confront his past when Anderson Dame (Jonathan Majors), a former friend turned new boxing rival blames him for his previous incarnation and attempts to claim the title of world champion by humiliating him on the biggest stage.

Continue reading “‘Creed III’ Director Michael B. Jordan Brings Positive Change to Representation in Film”

Adonis Creed Returns to Fight Someone From His Past in ‘Creed III’ Trailer

Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is about to step back into the ring for the third time. In the first two films, the championship boxer stepped out of his father, Apollo Creed’s (Carl Weathers) shadow, and faced the son of the man who killed his father. And as the Creed III trailer reveals, he will discover that he cannot outrun his past when a former friend (Jonathan Majors) becomes a bitter boxing rival.

Continue reading “Adonis Creed Returns to Fight Someone From His Past in ‘Creed III’ Trailer”

Hard NOC Life 235: Emmys So What

Keith, Britney, and Dominic rant about who won — but more importantly, who didn’t — during the Emmy Awards last night. Then, they break down the new Hawkeye trailer and recap the latest episode of What If.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life 235: Emmys So What”

Michaela Coel Set to Join Incredible Cast of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

Today, Variety dropped some exclusive news regarding Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Insiders at Variety reported earlier today that Coel would be joining the elite cast of the film amid airtight details surrounding the ensemble.

Continue reading “Michaela Coel Set to Join Incredible Cast of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’”

‘Just Mercy’ Effectively Calls for Justice with Emotional Impact

It’s no secret that the justice system in the United States is a mess like no other. However, the odds of navigating it and coming out unscathed — if at all — are worse for the Black community. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, witnessed just how brutal it is, as he worked tirelessly to free Walter McMillian from death row, after being arrested for a murder he did not commit. Just Mercy tells that story.

Continue reading “‘Just Mercy’ Effectively Calls for Justice with Emotional Impact”

Bryan Stevenson Hopes ‘Just Mercy’ Will Lead to Conversation and Action

Bryan Stevenson is a busy man.  He’s a widely acclaimed public interests lawyer and prison reform advocate. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. He’s a motivational speaker, … Continue reading Bryan Stevenson Hopes ‘Just Mercy’ Will Lead to Conversation and Action

Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Movie Has a Director

Hot off of Captain Marvel’s $500 million box office domination, Marvel Studios is already hard at work assembling the future phases of their Cinematic Universe. After announcing Shang-Chi as the next hero to get a feature, Marvel Studios has tapped director Destin Daniel Cretton to helm their first ever Asian American-led superhero film.

Continue reading “Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Movie Has a Director”

‘Black Panther’ Breaks the Oscars’ Superhero Ceiling

History was made this morning when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its list of honorees celebrating the films of 2018 and named Black Panther as one of the nominees for Best Picture. While plenty of comic book films have received nominations over the decades, no superhero film had ever been nominated for the most prestigious prize of the night. The Dark Knight came closest in 2009 — winning a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for Heath Ledger and prompting the Academy to expand its nomination list from five to ten the following year.

Continue reading “‘Black Panther’ Breaks the Oscars’ Superhero Ceiling”

DMV Nerds: Win Tickets to a Screening of ‘Black Panther’

Did your browser crash when trying to buy early tickets for Black Panther? Is the movie sold out opening day at your local cinema? Well, if you’re in the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia), we’re teaming up with Fantom Comics to offer a lucky NOC follower two first class tickets to Wakanda!

Continue reading “DMV Nerds: Win Tickets to a Screening of ‘Black Panther’”

What if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Chooses Shazam?

by William Evans | Originally posted at Black Nerd Problems

Yes, my people, it is I, he who typically slams everything the DCU does with its movie franchises. But look, if this all but confirmed news that Dwayne Johnson will portray Shazam comes to fruition: I like this one. I really, really like this one. If we’re being 100% honest, I think the actor formerly known as the wrestler known as The Rock would be a great Black Adam. Besides the comically-not-really-him-CGI depiction in The Mummy Returns, have we really had Johnson play a villain?

If the news is to be believed, Johnson hasn’t decided which character he’ll portray, but the smart money is on Shazam, and I can’t blame him. As far as franchising, being a good guy on the Justice League is going to afford you many more opportunities in the franchise than a villain who might appear in one flick. But I digress. For the first time since Zack Snyder started signing off on costume designs, I actually like a casting choice for this Justice League universe without having to have seventeen think-pieces to convince me of it. Johnson has proven he can be heroic, goofy, lighthearted, and certainly looks the part of being a “superman-ish” hero.

Continue reading “What if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Chooses Shazam?”

The Many Faces of Cyborg

Last night, the internet lit up with the news of yet another JLAer being added to the so-called Man of Steel sequel. Broadway star Ray Fisher has officially been cast to play Victor Stone (aka Cyborg) in the upcoming superhero epic, leading most fans to think “why doesn’t Warner Brothers just call this movie Justice League already?”

Continue reading “The Many Faces of Cyborg”

Why an African American Human Torch is Important, or Comic Fans are Kinda Racist

Originally posted at BadAzz Mofo

Wake up world, Black actor Michael B. Jordan has been cast as Johnny Storm (a.k.a. the Human Torch) in the upcoming reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. The hurricane of controversy, and all the requisite ridiculous and racist comments have begun, and will keep flowing, until, or course, the movie comes out, at which point people will go see it no matter how incensed or infuriated they are. And you know what? I don’t care if anyone is incensed, infuriated, or inconsolable about a Black actor being cast in a fictional role of a character that is known to be White. Really, honestly, and truly, I don’t care at all. That is not, however, going to stop me from addressing a few issues.

Continue reading “Why an African American Human Torch is Important, or Comic Fans are Kinda Racist”

The Human Torch is Being Played by a Black Guy. So What?!?

Originally posted at BadAzzMofo

Now that Black actor Michael B. Jordan has been officially cast as Johnny Storm (a.k.a. Human Torch) in the new Fantastic Four movie, all the negative crap has started to spew (again). We’ve all heard the crap before: “Johnny Storm is white!!! That’s Like casting a white actor as Martin Luther King, Jr!” Well, dumbass racist, it’s actually nothing like that. Johnny Storm is a fictional character. Martin Luther King Jr. being played by a white actor would like… well… it would be kind of like this…

Continue reading “The Human Torch is Being Played by a Black Guy. So What?!?”

Is a Black Panther Movie Coming Soon?

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been pretty lilly-white since its inception. Aside from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Don Cheadle as War Machine, the Marvel films heretofore have not featured very many heroes of color. That’s why so many Nerds of Color — including our very own Shawn Taylor whose advice on “How Not to Screw Up a Black Panther Film” is must reading, by the way — have been clamoring for a live action Black Panther for so long. Well, the rumor mill went into overdrive this week when Latino Review’s El Mayimbe sent out the following tweet:

Continue reading “Is a Black Panther Movie Coming Soon?”

Stretching Spandex Over Melanin Won’t Make Comics More Diverse

Sometimes being a Nerd of Color is difficult. Often, the sci-fi you watch marries awesome next-gen splatterpunk visuals with horrid White Man’s Burden political sentiments, or the games you play offer wickedly fun three-dimensional gameplay with healthy servings of amoral misogyny and racial epithets. But often it’s pretty easy – each and every Wednesday new worlds reveal the secrets of earthbound metahumans and iron-masked despots and immortal ronin and sentient bacteria and techno-organic telepaths and rubber geniuses and fighter pilots with imagination rings. The comic industry may not accurately render tomorrow, but it can always take you somewhere you never thought you could go.

Continue reading “Stretching Spandex Over Melanin Won’t Make Comics More Diverse”

I’m Sick of White Dudes

Back in May, when the news broke that Michael B. Jordan (star of The Wire and Fruitvale Station) was being considered for the role of Johnny Storm in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, let’s just say the internet wasn’t too happy about it. At the time, my friend and former editor Justin Aclin tweeted about it and then wrote about it on his blog. I’ve cross-posted the rest of Justin’s thoughts after the jump.

And come back later in the day as Justin will be my special guest on Hard N.O.C. Life where we’ll discuss his latest book for Dark Horse, S.H.O.O.T. First.

Continue reading “I’m Sick of White Dudes”

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Vitals: Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is an 81-minute feature-length animated movie based on the major DCU crossover event called Flashpoint, which happened two years ago and was helmed by writer Geoff Johns that resulted in a universe-wide reboot called “The New 52.” It can serve as either a stand-alone movie, or a primer for those who want a quick recap of how “The New 52” came to be without having to read all of Flashpoint in collected trades.

Continue reading Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox