Wesley Snipes Discusses the Black Panther Live-Action Movie

[J Storm]

Actor Wesley Snipes was the first major Hollywood actor to push for a comic book movie franchise with a black male lead when he announced his intentions to make a live-action movie based on the Marvel Comics character T'Challa, aka The Black Panther, back in June 1992. This was before he would turn Marvel's C-list character Blade into a major movie franchise and years before comic book movies became the hottest thing in Hollywood.

"We have a wide-open field for comic book characters on the big screen and we've yet to have a major black comic book hero on the screen. Especially the Black Panther, which is such a rich, interesting life. It's a dream come true to originate something that nobody's ever seen before." -Wesley Snipes, August 1993

Development on The Black Panther continued throughout the '90s and into the early '00s, but due to the success of the Blade franchise, Snipes was no longer thought to be viable in the title role. As late as June 2006, Snipes was still actively working on bringing T'Challa to the big screen. Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige confirmed in February 2007 that The Black Panther was on Marvel Studios' slate of projects in development.

During the recent San Diego Comic-Con, I bumped into Wesley at the EW/SyFy party and asked him if he was still interested in starring as T'Challa in The Black Panther movie. Snipes said:


"I think they [the studio] think I'm too old now."



When I asked him if he would take the role if it was offered to him, he said:


"Only if they do it right. It would have to be big, epic...Wakanda, the whole deal."



Snipes showed that he's keeping abreast of what's happening with the character when I ased him if he was aware of The Black Panther animated series produced by Marvel and BET:


"Oh, yeah. Reggie Hudlin developed that."



Since so many involved with Marvel's current slate of films were present at the party, including Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, Kat Dennings and Joss Whedon, I asked Snipes if he thought the Black Panther might show up in The Avengers and he left me with a very nebulous response:


"You never know."



So, what do you think, CBMers? Do you want to see a live-action Black Panther movie? Is Snipes too old to play T'Challa? Should the Black Panther be in The Avengers? Sound off below!
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http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/BrentSprecher/news/?a=21696


My pick would be

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Development on The Black Panther continued throughout the '90s and into the early '00s, but due to the success of the Blade franchise, Snipes was no longer thought to be viable in the title role. As late as June 2006, Snipes was still actively working on bringing T'Challa to the big screen. Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige confirmed in February 2007 that The Black Panther was on Marvel Studios' slate of projects in development.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/BrentSprecher/news/?a=21696


My pick would be

That part made no sense to me. Due to Blade's success, Snipes isn't considered viable? So because he succeeded, he might not be a good pick?

I think he might be too old too at this point but I don't have a better pick: someone who can act and pull off the action sequences.

 

[Judge Rudy]

he locked up anyway

 

[Heist]

That part made no sense to me. Due to Blade's success, Snipes isn't considered viable? So because he succeeded, he might not be a good pick?

I think he might be too old too at this point but I don't have a better pick: someone who can act and pull off the action sequences.

If you make a name for yourself playing one comic character, generally, you're excluded from playing another comic character.

That said, Blade was successful, but it was also the series that got him BLACKBALLED from Hollywood after he flipped out and sued the production company.

Hollywood doesn't like insiders (which he was at the time) suing insiders when it could have been worked out outside of court. Hollywood is big on "a favor for a favor" shit.

So they iced his ass. No scripts, no roles, no insurance. He was doing straight to DVD for 6 years until Brooklyn's Finest.

 

[NoodleArmWhimsy]

That part made no sense to me. Due to Blade's success, Snipes isn't considered viable? So because he succeeded, he might not be a good pick?
I think he might be too old too at this point but I don't have a better pick: someone who can act and pull off the action sequences.

Not necessarily so, they might've felt the audience may identify him as Blade on screen instead the character the Black Panther..people get too used to seeing one thing they can't get away from it, so it makes sense from a business standpoint.

If they can put out that weak ass Daredevil with non acting whats his name they can produce this

 

[Upgrade Dave]

If you make a name for yourself playing one comic character, generally, you're excluded from playing another comic character.

That said, Blade was successful, but it was also the series that got him BLACKBALLED from Hollywood after he flipped out and sued the production company.

Hollywood doesn't like insiders (which he was at the time) suing insiders when it could have been worked out outside of court. Hollywood is big on "a favor for a favor" shit.

So they iced his ass. No scripts, no roles, no insurance. He was doing straight to DVD for 6 years until Brooklyn's Finest.

Gotcha.
But then there's Chris Evans, who was as dead on as the Human Torch as Patrick Steward was Charles Xavier, doing Captain America.

Not necessarily so, they might've felt the audience may identify him as Blade on screen instead the character the Black Panther..people get too used to seeing one thing they can't get away from it, so it makes sense from a business standpoint.

If they can put out that weak ass Daredevil with non acting whats his name they can produce this

I would hope they learned fromt the Daredevil (and Ghost Rider) mistakes.

 

[stickmanX]

That part made no sense to me. Due to Blade's success, Snipes isn't considered viable? So because he succeeded, he might not be a good pick?

I think he might be too old too at this point but I don't have a better pick: someone who can act and pull off the action sequences.

i think they meant since he has been so successful with blade everybody will think "oh blade is in the black panther movie"

i think they can find an actual african actor to play tchalla

 

[DjMorpheus]

Black Panther movie will NEVER be made

 

[tical]

I'll look up the info, but can some of you comic heads post some info about "black panther" shame to say I've never heard of the character and I'm positive their are others on the site that haven't either. Also is the character "Bishop" black ?

 

[Heist]

Gotcha.
But then there's Chris Evans, who was as dead on as the Human Torch as Patrick Steward was Charles Xavier, doing Captain America.

Yeah, like I said "generally" ... some exceptions are made.

Steward didn't exactly play a main role in X-Men. He was more a supporting character throughout.

 

[dtownsfinest]

Shit i'd look at Wesley for the part but knowing Hollywood they probably want someone in their 20's that's easy to work with.

 

[tical]

Could Micheal Jai White, be perfect for the role i know nothing about Black Panther?

Or Chewy, but i think he's too small..but a fine actor!

 

[dtownsfinest]

Black Panther movie will NEVER be made

Maybe. Maybe not. Hollywood is going to attack the black superhero market once again. What character that is? I don't know but it would not shock me if its Luke Cage or Black Panther. I know Samuel L Jackson signed on to appear in a few of Marvel flicks but I don't know if he'll have his own vehicle.

 

[Heist]

Shit i'd look at Wesley for the part but knowing Hollywood they probably want someone in their 20's that's easy to work with.

they also want someone in their 20's because if the film is popular enough for a sequel, they can reinsert the same actor without being concerned that he grew too old to play the role.

 

[Man_Of_STeeL]

if it does get made ... i hope they put a decent budget behind it ... like wesley said ... it should be epic...

and if they don't cast wesley ... maybe djimon hounsou would be good in the role...

 

[J Storm]

Yeah, like I said "generally" ... some exceptions are made.

Steward didn't exactly play a main role in X-Men. He was more a supporting character throughout.

 

[J Storm]

Could Micheal Jai White, be perfect for the role i know nothing about Black Panther

no because he lacks the african accent.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Black Panther movie will NEVER be made

The same thing was said about Spiderman for years. It just takes someone to make up their mind they're going to do it and get someone a studio in their corner.

I'll look up the info, but can some of you comic heads post some info about "black panther" shame to say I've never heard of the character and I'm positive their are others on the site that haven't either. Also is the character "Bishop" black ?

Really? He's the first Black superhero. I'm sure Marvel Comics has all the info on their website including relevent titles to read. Great, great character.

Could Micheal Jai White, be perfect for the role i know nothing about Black Panther

Nah. He could do the action stuff but can't act well enough to pull off this character.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Yeah, like I said "generally" ... some exceptions are made.

Steward didn't exactly play a main role in X-Men. He was more a supporting character throughout.

That's true. He was major in the first one but they pared back his role (correctly imo) as the movies progressed.

Maybe. Maybe not. Hollywood is going to attack the black superhero market once again. What character that is? I don't know but it would not shock me if its Luke Cage or Black Panther. I know Samuel L Jackson signed on to appear in a few of Marvel flicks but I don't know if he'll have his own vehicle.

They have to do Luke Cage eventually. His profile has been greatly enhanced in the books (he's the leader of an Avengers team and the Thunderbolts) and he's really a good character.

they also want someone in their 20's because if the film is popular enough for a sequel, they can reinsert the same actor without being concerned that he grew too old to play the role.

 

[tical]

Man ya'll got me hyped, they better make this movie now.

 

[DjMorpheus]

Maybe. Maybe not. Hollywood is going to attack the black superhero market once again. What character that is? I don't know but it would not shock me if its Luke Cage or Black Panther. I know Samuel L Jackson signed on to appear in a few of Marvel flicks but I don't know if he'll have his own vehicle.

hollywood never "attacked" the black superhero market in the first place. Wesley slipped thru the crack wit Blade. He and John Singleton were tryin to get a Black Panther flic made for over a decade. Wesley finally got tired and said fuck it can I get Blade? Marvel said yeah because it was a second tier character and they did'nt care too much if he fucked wit it.

But once they saw the success of Blade then that kickstarted the whole superhero flic craze. Spiderman got fast tracked along wit xmen and others. Hollywood ain't gonna give u no black superhero on the big screen the way you wanna see it. Shit, by Blade 3 they made Wesley a sidekick in the franchise he started. Thas why he was pissed and rightfully so. Blade 3 was a vehicle for Ryan Reynolds and that white bitch.

The first Blade was the anomaly that "slipped thru" but that shit won't happen again.

Now we KNOW from what Todd McFarlane told us what studio execs said to him to make him change his characters from the comic that were black to white in the movie. Any movie that has more than 4 to 5 black main characters is labeled a "black" movie and he would'nt get the budget needed for sfx. So you can pretty much forget about Black Panther being a movie unless they can weave the story around a white main character. THat right there excludes Wakanda being a main part of the story.

 

[HAR125LEM]

It's a DAMN SHAME that to this day, Snipes never gets the credit he deserves for putting MARVEL and the Vampire genre on the film map with "BLADE".

A lot of White Goths and comic fans were eating that film up when it came out. More so than Black people were. A lot of us jumped on later. It gave the Vampire genre its fad today. Shit like "UNDERWORLD", 'TRUE BLODD", and "TWILIGHT" owe a hell of a debt to "BLADE". Vampires were fuckin' box-office and ratings poison for years before that film.

 

[SloPoke]

Man ya'll got me hyped, they better make this movie now.

that was the worst fan made I have ever saw....

 

[raze]

It's a DAMN SHAME that to this day, Snipes never gets the credit he deserves for putting MARVEL and the Vampire genre on the film map with "BLADE".

A lot of White Goths and comic fans were eating that film up when it came out. More so than Black people were. A lot of us jumped on later. It gave the Vampire genre its fad today. Shit like "UNDERWORLD", 'TRUE BLODD", and "TWILIGHT" owe a hell of a debt to "BLADE". Vampires were fuckin' box-office and ratings poison for years before that film.

 

[veritech]

Black Panther movie will NEVER be made

agreed. there is no way hollywood would allow the images of an african/black nation that is superior to caucasian nations to ever be made.

even that (imo, subpar) black panther series by b.e.t. never even aired in the united states. only reason some of us saw it was because we downloaded it after it aired in australia.

 

[veritech]

The first Blade was the anomaly that "slipped thru" but that shit won't happen again.

Now we KNOW from what Todd McFarlane told us what studio execs said to him to make him change his characters from the comic that were black to white in the movie. Any movie that has more than 4 to 5 black main characters is labeled a "black" movie and he would'nt get the budget needed for sfx. So you can pretty much forget about Black Panther being a movie unless they can weave the story around a white main character. THat right there excludes Wakanda being a main part of the story.

exactly.

 

[veritech]

that was the worst fan made I have ever saw....

shit was all over the damn place. but i have seen far worse.

 

[LoneStar29]

Ooooooooh THAT kind of black panther

Cuz I was gonna say that would be ironic as all hell lmmfbaooooooo

Anywhooooo I guess they mean cuz Blade was so successful that people would still see him as THAT character while watching THIS new movie ... they do need like a brand new guy to do it ... I vote Idris Elba and not just cuz he is fine as hell and makes my panties wet ... ok that is why

Edit:

Could Micheal Jai White, be perfect for the role i know nothing about Black Panther?

Or Chewy, but i think he's too small..but a fine actor!

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/images/cdoidge/2008/10/30/chiwetelejiofor.jpg?maxWidth=500

Aint that the guy from "Spawn"?? *droooooooling* Oh LAWD please pick him!!!!!!! lmaooooooo

 

[Upgrade Dave]

But once they saw the success of Blade then that kickstarted the whole superhero flic craze. Spiderman got fast tracked along wit xmen and others. Hollywood ain't gonna give u no black superhero on the big screen the way you wanna see it. Shit, by Blade 3 they made Wesley a sidekick in the franchise he started. Thas why he was pissed and rightfully so. Blade 3 was a vehicle for Ryan Reynolds and that white bitch.

It was obviously meant to be the jump off for a "Nightstalkers" movie. Had the movie been better, it might have worked.

Now we KNOW from what Todd McFarlane told us what studio execs said to him to make him change his characters from the comic that were black to white in the movie. Any movie that has more than 4 to 5 black main characters is labeled a "black" movie and he would'nt get the budget needed for sfx. So you can pretty much forget about Black Panther being a movie unless they can weave the story around a white main character. THat right there excludes Wakanda being a main part of the story.

The Christopher Priest 1998 run on the "Black Panther" comic would be a perfect template for how to make a movie.

Writer Christopher Priest's and penciller Mark Texeira's 1998 series The Black Panther vol. 2 utilized Erik Killmonger, Venomm, and other characters introduced in "Panther's Rage", together with new characters such as State Department attorney Everett Ross, the Black Panther's adopted brother, Hunter, and Panther's protégé, Queen Divine Justice. The Priest-Texeira series, which was under the Marvel Knights imprint in its first year, earned critical plaudits,[citation needed] but sales of the comic were never high.[citation needed] Priest said the creation of character Ross contributed heavily to his decision to write the series. "I realized I could use Ross to bridge the gap between the African culture that the Black Panther mythos is steeped in and the predominantly white readership that Marvel sells to," adding that in his opinion, the Black Panther had been misused in the years after his creation.[7]

It's a DAMN SHAME that to this day, Snipes never gets the credit he deserves for putting MARVEL and the Vampire genre on the film map with "BLADE".

A lot of White Goths and comic fans were eating that film up when it came out. More so than Black people were. A lot of us jumped on later. It gave the Vampire genre its fad today. Shit like "UNDERWORLD", 'TRUE BLODD", and "TWILIGHT" owe a hell of a debt to "BLADE". Vampires were fuckin' box-office and ratings poison for years before that film.

The inside view is that "Blade" wasn't marketed as a "comic book movie" so, to them, it doesn't count. "X-Men" gets the credit for jumpstarting that genre again since it was the first one to carry the MARVEL logo.
Good point on it giving the current vampire craze a shot in the arm as well. Who was doing vampire shit on a major scale before the "Blade" movies?

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Ooooooooh THAT kind of black panther

Cuz I was gonna say that would be ironic as all hell lmmfbaooooooo

Anywhooooo I guess they mean cuz Blade was so successful that people would still see him as THAT character while watching THIS new movie ... they do need like a brand new guy to do it ... I vote Idris Elba and not just cuz he is fine as hell and makes my panties wet ... ok that is why

Edit:



Aint that the guy from "Spawn"?? *droooooooling* Oh LAWD please pick him!!!!!!! lmaooooooo

Your picks suck but at least you're honest about why you pick them.

 

[Blunt]

and if they don't cast wesley ... maybe djimon hounsou would be good in the role...

He's in his late-40s as well.

 

[LoneStar29]

Your picks suck but at least you're honest about why you pick them.

I beg to differ ... those are 2 outstanding performers

Awwwww fuck it, I wanna see eye candy damnit They always got eye candy for the men, and women who like non black guys but very rarely for sistas who like black men And Wesley Snipes is last on the list of eye candy And I dont want to see some off white lookin fool up there either I demand buff chocolate on the screen damnit

 

[Upgrade Dave]

I beg to differ ... those are 2 outstanding performers

Awwwww fuck it, I wanna see eye candy damnit They always got eye candy for the men, and women who like non black guys but very rarely for sistas who like black men And Wesley Snipes is last on the list of eye candy And I dont want to see some off white lookin fool up there either I demand buff chocolate on the screen damnit

Okay, okay, you win

























they still suck there would be a Black geek riot if one of those ninjas got that role.

 

[Blunt]

agreed. there is no way hollywood would allow the images of an african/black nation that is superior to caucasian nations to ever be made.

Of course they would, if there was some talent and juice behind it. They do it all the time. Hollywood couldn't be more pro-black. Unfortunately, creative black talent is scarce. It's usually white folks who make the best black movies.

 

[J Storm]

agreed. there is no way hollywood would allow the images of an african/black nation that is superior to caucasian nations to ever be made.

even that (imo, subpar) black panther series by b.e.t. never even aired in the united states. only reason some of us saw it was because we downloaded it after it aired in australia.

Actually its because HUDLIN got FIRED.