Despite the hype and importance placed on Shuri’s debut as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new Black Panther, Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore has admitted that the future of Wakanda’s signature protector is far from assured.
RELATED: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Review – A Dark, Confusing, And Uneventful Mess
Moore, whose Marvel Studios career has seen him serve as a producer for such entries as Captain America: Civil War, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and most recently Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, spoke to the franchise’s shaky outlook during a post-Wakanda Forever premiere interview given to Collider.
The producer first broached the topic when asked by the outlet writer Tamera for a tease of what his next Marvel project would be, to which he confirmed it would be the Sam Wilson-led Captain America: New World Order.
“Well, look, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, he is going to bring his own team to play,” said Moore. “It’s no secret that Samuel Sterns is making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is fantastic because Tim Blake Nelson’s the best.”
“Harrison Ford is taking on the role of General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, and to see Sam Wilson and Thunderbolt Ross – which if you remember actually threw him in prison at the end of Civil War because he violated the Sokovia Accords,” he digressed. “There’s going to be some natural sparks there, which I think are going to be really fun.”
Refocusing himself on the specific subject of the Black Panther’s future, Moore ultimately affirmed, “Listen, the movie hasn’t even come out yet, but obviously Black Panther’s going to be a huge part, and these characters are going to be a huge part of the MCU going forward.”
Taking note of Moore’s mention of the larger MCU, Jones then proceeded to inquire as to whether the producer “envisioned a Black Panther 3 in the next three, four years, or do you think this is going to be something where Wakanda and the characters are just embedded into the rest of the MCU?”
“That’s a great question,” replied Moore. “To be honest, this is not me trying to not answer the question. We really want to see how audiences receive [Wakanda Forever], and I think Ryan’s really interested to see how the film plays before we decide.”
“There are certainly ideas we’ve floated around of what a third film could be if we get to make it,” he continued. “But until the movie comes out, we’re a bit superstitious in that way. We don’t want to count our chickens, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
While there are undoubtedly many metrics Marvel will be looking at to determine Wakanda Forever‘s favorability among audiences, one of, if not the most, important number will be its box office returns.
Typically, films need to earn roughly two- to two-and-half- times its production budget to break even.
With Marvel having reportedly spent $250 Million on Ironheart’s introduction vehicle, the studio will need to recoup roughly half-a-billion dollars in order to break even.
Following its debut weekend, Wakanda Forever’s worldwide box office take currently sits at $342,791,109.
As of writing, whether Shuri and crew can push the film into the black and save it from a disastrous drop-off in audience attendance remains to be seen.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing.
