Race is always a charged topic, and one question in the air right now is "Does Marvel's 'Black Panther' need a black director?" Here are Ryan Coogler's and Anthony Mackie's opinions on that.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Creed director Ryan Coogler was asked the question "do you think something like a Black Panther movie from Marvel has to have a black director?"
He responded with: "Yeah, I think it's important. Perspective is so important in art. It's an important thing. That's not to say that you can't work outside yourself. When I was coming up, I made movies about things that were close to me; I made movies about things that weren't close to me. But I definitely think that it helps when you are close to a subject. Like, I was an athlete for most of my life before I was a filmmaker. And that helped to inform me when writing this script, when directing. Having had those types of experiences helped me inform this process."
Later on in the interview, Coogler expanded on his view of directorship with "But if I was in a position where I'm making a movie about the first woman superhero that's every going to get released all over the world, I would do everything in my power to find a woman to direct that movie out of the simple fact that I think it will give you a cultural perspective."
When I first read this interview, my first thought was "This is a bit on the discriminatory side." But when you really think about it, there is a little truth to it. The Black Panther is from a technologically advanced African country. While fictitious, it is true that an African director (not necessarily African American) would possibly be able to add some interesting flavor to the film due to their own personal experience. A female director probably can imagine more effectively the challenges a woman would face as a superhero than male director would. Equality does not mean ignoring the personal experiences or skills of an individual to choose the most politically correct candidate for a position.
Anthony Mackie (who plays Falcon in the Captain America movies) stated in an interview that: "The thing is I don't think the race of the director has to do with their ability to tell a story. I think it's all about the director's ability to be able to relate to that story and do it justice. I think men can direct women, and two of my greatest work experiences were with female directors. So I think it all depends. May the best man - or woman - win."
And that's true. Black Panther doesn't need a man or woman or this or that color/race/nationality/sexuality/etc. to be a good film. What it does need is someone who is passionate about superhero movies, who is familiar with the lore of the Black Panther within the Marvel universe, and who is willing to work to keep the film from getting mired down in pointless racism and PC argumentations.
So what do you think about the Black Panther? Who do you think would be the best director for the film? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
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