Several weeks ago it was reported by The MCU Exchange that Marvel had hired Selma female director Ava DuVernay has signed onto direct their upcoming Black Panther solo film. This report was premature but while the famed director did indeed meet Marvel she has since passed on the project. Speaking with Essence the director goes onto praise Marvel and star Chadwick Boseman but admits their ideas on the movie didn’t match:
“I guess I’ll declare my independence from this rumor on 4th of July [and] Essence weekend! I’m not signing on to direct Black Panther. I think I’ll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be. Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they’re fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me. I loved meeting Chadwick and writers and all the Marvel execs. In the end, it comes down to story and perspective. And we just didn’t see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later. I love the character of Black Panther, the nation of Wakanda and all that that could be visually. I wish them well and will be first in line to see it,”
Now while she might have been fan-favorite to direct this film featuring one of the earliest African-American superheros in comic history; it’s not a total loss. We should remember that she is a young talented director but has yet to jump into massive genre films like what Marvel is currently doing. It’s unknown what exactly the two parties didn’t agree on but it’s most likely that DuVernay wanted a deep emotional film of an isolated country while Marvel probably want’s it a tad bit more light-hearted.
Other directors that have been mentioned as fan-favorites include the widely acclaimed Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler or even this years Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray which seems to be generating some buzz. Ironically, F. Gary Gray was actually once in talks to direct Captain America: The Winter Solider before dropping out to direct the NWA biopic. He actually has a few big action films under his belt also like The Italian Job and Law Abiding Citizen.
Black Panther debuts July 2018