So the first trailer for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther dropped Friday night during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Normally we like to fill up this first paragraph with context or a lengthy joke or something, but there’s just not much we can say about this.
Our jaws are still on the goddamn floor. Yes, that’s right: it’s fucking awesome.
We’re going to squeal like Ned Flanders for a bit, because when that Run the Jewels kicks in near the end, we have a hard time keeping our composure.
We’d be stoked about this anyway, given that it’s the latest film by director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station and decade top-20 entry Creed), but it’s so much more than that. It’s an iconic black superhero, brought to the screen with nothing but the greatest respect. It’s a film with a majority black cast, featuring some of the best actors currently working in the industry (Chadwick Boseman! Lupita Nyongo! Michael B. Jordan! Forest Whitaker! Angela Bassett!). It’s a continuation of Captain America: Civil War’s amazing portrayal of the character. And finally, it’s legit Afrofuturism on film, through the depiction of Wakanda (somewhere, Sun Ra is alright with this). We can’t wait.
Here’s the official synopsis:
‘Black Panther’ follows T’Challa who, after the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King. However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T’Challa’s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.
Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018. That’s one hell of a wait, but at least we have Spidey and Thor to look forward to until then.