'Black Panther' Cast Talks About Online Group Out To Sabotage The Film
As the film's release approaches, the Black Panther cast weighs in on the now-defunct group that planned to sabotage the movie's ratings with negative reviews.
'Black Panther' Cast: No Worries
Facebook quickly shut down the group that once plotted to bombard Rotten Tomatoes with negative audience scores to keep the Black Panther total score down. Now, the stars of the renowned Marvel film are simply shrugging off the threat.
Star Chadwick Boseman, who plays T'challa/Black Panther himself, tells Associated Press that he was informed of the plot against Black Panther.
"I definitely thought about it, and I think you don't really know how big of an impact that's going to be," Boseman says. "So whatever they do online doesn't really matter."
The alt-right group formed in Facebook was dubbed "Down with Disney's Treatment of Franchises and its Fanboys." The group also created an event called "Give Black Panther a Rotten Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes."
Before getting the boot from Facebook, the event drew 3,700 participants, while an additional 1,800 expressed interest in the event as well.
Breakout star Letitia Wright, who plays T'challa's sister Shuri, dismisses the threats, but she does have a few words for them.
"Shame on them," Wright says. "Everybody is just focused forward. Those people are at the back."
Rave Reviews
The cast and filmmakers certainly have no need to worry as the reception for Black Panther has been overwhelmingly positive from the audience to the critics. Debuting at a 100 percent Rotten Tomato score, it is now at 98 percent and still the highest-rating Marvel superhero film on the website.
The stars of the film themselves are aware of the significance of Black Panther, especially in the discussion of representation in cinema.
During the premiere of the film, the cast members talk openly about what it means to them to be a part of a film where black culture is so completely embraced and taken pride in.
"Being in a Trump era right now, how timely it is to actually see black representation onscreen," Denzel Whitaker, who plays Young Zuri, says in Los Angeles Times. "To see pride onscreen. To see different facets of black culture onscreen. To see us in different representations of intelligence, of power, of presence."
The Ryan Coogler film stars Boseman, Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
Black Panther opens in theaters on Feb. 16.
