Black Panther is a bona fide box office smash. Following its February 16 nationwide release, the Marvel film earned over $201 million in its opening weekend, the fifth-best performance of all time.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed the Black Panther sequel already has a “solid direction.”
“One of the favorite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part One and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a Part Two,” Feige said. “There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first Black Panther.”
He added, “We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one.”
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Elsewhere in the interview, Feige also talked about having more diverse representation in future films. Actress Brie Larson will play the lead role in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie —the first female title character in a Marvel Studios film — while Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will co-direct.
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, who is African-American, made history when Black Panther earned the highest domestic opening directed by a black director.
“I think we’re seeing it shift from a very purposeful initiative to just a fact of life, to just a way of doing business,” he explained. “Then there are people we hired that we’re not ready to announce in all different capacities, particularly behind the camera. As Panther has so loudly declared, [representation] can only help you, can only help you tell unique stories, can only help you do things in a new, and unique, and fresh, and exciting way. If you do that, audiences will notice it, and appreciate it, and support it.”
Black Panther was anchored by the Kendrick Lamar and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith-curated soundtrack, Black Panther: The Album,which features Future, Jay Rock, SZA, Ab-Soul and more.
