When Eyes of Wakanda premiered, I expected a bit of backstory, some cool animation, and maybe a nod or two to the Dora Milaje. What I didn’t expect was a four-part meditation on how Wakanda’s deepest strength, its secrecy, might also be its biggest flaw.
Continue reading “‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Quietly Proves Killmonger Wasn’t Wrong”
Throughout history, portions of Black history have been erased. We’re seeing that today with censorship in schools, the banning of books, a general trend toward erasure of American slavery’s historical legacy (e.g, Florida’s “Stop Woke Act”). Marvel’s new animated series Eyes of Wakanda refuses to shy away from these truths.
Continue reading “‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Director Todd Harris on Contributing to the MCU Legacy of ‘Black Panther’”
We had the opportunity to have a sit-down with Ironheart composer Dara Taylor to discuss her musical influences, merging her sound with the existing template of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and creating the villainous theme for that character.
Continue reading “The Devil’s in the Details: Composing ‘Ironheart’ with Dara Taylor”
We had the opportunity to talk with the minds behind Ironheart‘s writing and production, Executive Producers Ryan Coogler, Zoie Nagelhout, Sev Ohanian, and showrunner Chinaka Hodge, to discuss the cultural relevance of Riri Williams’ connection to the STEM fields, how fleshing out the characters was an act of self development and what viewers can expect in the way of handling Tony Stark’s legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Continue reading “Meeting the Minds Behind the Metal with Ryan Coogler and the ‘Ironheart’ Creative Team”
Disney+ has unveiled the trailer to the upcoming series Ironheart, and audiences could be in for quite the adventure.
Continue reading “Riri Williams is Ready to Build Something Iconic in Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’”
You cannot deny that few people have done as much for POC cinema as the collective talents of Director Ryan Coogler, screen legend Delroy Lindo, and incredible actors Omar Miller and Li Jun Li. Coogler has changed every genre he’s touched, from superhero movies to horror films, by adding deeper social meanings that honor Black and POC culture to all of them.
Continue reading “Culture, Music, and Makeup with Delroy Lindo, Omar Miller, and Li Jun Li from ‘Sinners’”
The Sinners are coming this week, and it’s hands down the best movie of the year so far! Director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther) never misses! Once more, he’s teamed up with Michael B. Jordan to bring us a stunning horror masterpiece with deeper themes. However, Jordan is not alone. Coogler has assembled an amazing ensemble of actors to bring this amazing piece of survival horror to life, including A-listers Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku.
Continue reading “Three Minutes with ‘Sinners’ Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Wunmi Mosaku”
There’s room in this world for all sorts of horror, be it schlock or awe. For every Exorcist there’s a Paranormal Activity. For every Fly there’s a Re-Animator. And for every Halloween there’s a Terrifier. They all can exist without conflict for every horror fan to embrace. However, when horror is made by storytellers that get it, love it, but have much more to say than “Ooh! Look! Blood!” that’s how masterpieces are born, and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is one such film: a profound masterpiece of survival horror!
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Sinners’ is a Profound Masterpiece of Survival Horror!”
The impact director Ryan Coogler has had on Black cinema over the past few years is undeniable. From his debut film, Fruitvale Station to shattering records and making cinematic history with Black Panther, Coogler has not only demonstrated his incredible talents as a writer and director, but also showcased that he is one of the most prolific, game changing filmmakers working today. This April, he’s going to do it one more time, with his first horror feature, Sinners.
Continue reading “Director Ryan Coogler Takes Us Inside the Newest Trailer for ‘Sinners’”
As was teased yesterday, the first official trailer for Ryan Coogler’s next movie, Sinners, has officially dropped, and it looks incredible!
Continue reading “The Sinners are Coming in the Trailer for Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’”
If there’s something we can all agree on, it’s that Ryan Coogler has never made a bad film. He’s literally one of the finest filmmakers working today. And I don’t care what anyone says, Wakanda Forever was an absolute masterpiece especially given the emotional challenges and literal showstoppers he and the entire cast and crew had to face.
Continue reading “First Trailer for Ryan Coogler’s Vampire Film ‘Sinners’ Drops Tomorrow”
In anticipation of the upcoming sports documentary, Stephen Curry: Underrated, I had the chance to have a sit down with the film’s executive producers, Ryan Coogler and Erick Payton, to discuss the intricacies of the year-plus long shoot, what makes this a unique documentary among others in its class, and their views on the legacy of Steph Curry as well as his impact on the game.
Continue reading “Ryan Coogler and Erick Payton Explore the Life and Times of Steph Curry in ‘Underrated’”
Hot off the news of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Disney+ debut, Proximity Media has announced that Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Wakanda Forver: The Official Black Panther Podcast will return with new episodes weekly starting on January 18.
Continue reading “Proximity Media’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Podcast Returns”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is, at its core, a moving drama about the grief of a nation for their lost King T’Challa and the grief of his closes loved ones. But the film also takes a deeper dive into the geopolitics of the MCU, and really our own world and how the legacy of colonialism, European slavery of Africans, Indigenous genocide, and the pillaging of resources of Black and brown countries continues to this day.
Continue reading “‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Explores Geopolitics and Shows the MCU Can Go Further”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently ruling the box office. And to celebrate the triumphant return of Wakanda’s greatest protector, our friends at Funko invited us to their megastore in Los Angeles for a morning of fun merchandise previews and a surprise panel with Marvel Studios’ Director of Production and Development, Kyana Davidson. See below for what Davidson had to say about the film, and for some fun photos of today’s festivities.
Continue reading “Celebrating ‘Wakanda Forever’ at Funko HQ”
How do a filmmaker and his crew pick up the pieces of a story shattered by the heartbreaking loss of a fallen family member, who was both a protagonist and king? That was certainly the question left several days after the death of the incredible Chadwick Boseman, who passed away from colon cancer in August 2020, shortly after writer/director Ryan Coogler had just finished the first draft of his script for the sequel to 2018’s Black Panther.
Continue reading “NOC Review: The ‘Black Panther’ Lives On in ‘Wakanda Forever’”
No stranger to the world of Wakanda, National Book Award-winning author, journalist, and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Ta-Nehisi Coates will be making his first foray into podcasting with Wakanda Forver: The Official Black Panther Podcast launching this Thursday, November 3.
Continue reading “Ta-Nehisi Coates to Host Official ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Podcast from Proximity Media”
After spending his entire acting career on one side of the camera, actor Michael B. Jordan is ready to make his directorial debut in Creed III.
Continue reading “Michael B. Jordan on Making ‘Creed III’ His Directorial Debut”
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”
Marvel Studios has released the newest trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It’s a sequel that promises to be one of the most exciting and also most emotional as it respectfully addresses the tragic loss of the beloved King T’Challa, played Chadwick Boseman, who sadly died of cancer in 2020. But rather than recast the role, Marvel decided to pass on the title of Black Panther to a different character, one that has yet to be revealed to the world.
Continue reading “Namor Makes a Grand Entrance in the ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Trailer”
It’s been four years and a few weeks since Marvel’s Black Panther leveled the pop-sphere with a $1.344 billion USD box office and a legion of new and reinvigorated fans. Before his big screen debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War — an appearance that all who saw it could not stop talking about — he was a C- or D-list comic book character in Marvel Comics’ overstuffed roster.
Continue reading “What Are We Saying When We Say, ‘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’”
Today, Deadline broke the exclusive news that Marvel is set to choose Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq to direct the new ‘Blade’ film starring Mahershala Ali. Sources close to Deadline say that while deal hasn’t been finalized, it does come at the end of a fairly long and considerate search for the film’s director. When the deal is officially inked, Tariq will become Marvel’s sixth director of color, rounding out the list of his contemporaries that include Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, and Taika Waititi.
Continue reading “Marvel Taps ‘Mogul Mowgli’ Director Bassam Tariq to Direct ‘Blade’”