Yesterday, we learned that Marvel was trying to book Ava DuVerney, but it was unclear what film they wanted the SELMA director for, with the likeliest candidates being BLACK PANTHER and CAPTAIN MARVEL. While the initial word was that PANTHER was the likelier option, today the mighty Umberto Gonzalez a.k.a. El Mayimbe made this allusion:
RIDDLE RUMOR: What other DOPE director could be meeting at Marvel for BLACK PANTHER? :)
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) May 13, 2015
He’s referring to Rick Famuyiwa, the director of DOPE, which got strong reviews out of Sundance this year.
The notion is that this indicates Marvel’s interest in DuVerney for MARVEL, and Famuyiwa for PANTHER. Famuyiwa is not only black, but the son of Nigerian immigrants, making his connection to PANTHER’s home continent more direct than could’ve been expected.
Gonzalez’ Tweet is the only word about this out there right now, which makes me think that Marvel is still very much in the process of figuring things out, and Famuyiwa is only one name on a list of prospective directors. It seems about as likely that Famuyiwa and DuVerney would both be up for PANTHER as it would that they were up for two different Phase Threers.
Aside from DOPE, Famuyiwa is also responsible for THE WOOD, BROWN SUGAR, TALK TO ME, and OUR FAMILY WEDDING. Like SELMA, none of these films were indicative of the type of skills and action-friendliness that would be required of their director should Marvel choose to sign him. Unlike SELMA, however, they were unable to jut themselves into the zeitgeist with the efficiency and impact of Ms. DuVerney’s biopic, and doing time in the MCU would, indeed, probably be a big credibility and popularity booster for Mr. Famuyiwa.
I remember liking THE WOOD when it first came out, primarily for its endearing portrayal of teendom and the chemistry between the adult leads. You think he’ll be any good for PANTHER?
BLACK PANTHER takes us to Wakanda on July 6th, 2018.
