All hail the king of Wakanda. Black Panther is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD. The film is also on Netflix for the time being- before the Disney streaming service is ready next year. But there’s one platform Disney is really pushing T’Challa towards – the Oscars.
That’s right. Marvel is making a bid for Best Picture and all the major awards.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company are launching a campaign for the Academy Awards.
This comes shortly after the Academy did consider a Best Popular Film category. However, the final vote on that notion was “Nay”, because a number of Academy members did not like the idea. Still, the decision does cause this writer to wonder why the Oscars won’t take superhero movies seriously.
The For Your Consideration list covers all the major categories. Kevin Feige is on the list for Best Picture, while Ryan Coogler is there for Best Director and (with co-writer Joe Robert Cole) Best Adapted Screenplay. Chadwick Boseman is there for his regal take on T’Challa. While he did give an emotional performance in Civil War, Boseman is able to show conflict and stoicism in this film.
Michael B. Jordan, Forest Whitaker, David Kaluuya, Andy Serkis are in the Best Supporting Actor category. Of all these names, Jordan is most likely to score a nomination for his take on Eric Killmonger. His work in Fruitvale Station and Creed did receive acclaim and awards, but he has yet to receive an Oscar nod. Whitaker, Kaluuya, Serkis and Sterling K. Brown also deliver solid performances.
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In the Best Supporting Actress category, Black Panther has quite a few possibilities. Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, and Angela Bassett are in the running for potential Oscar campaigns. Nyong’o is an Oscar winner for Twelve Years a Slave, while Bassett has a Best Actress nomination for What’s Love Got To Do With It? Gurira and Wright could also sneak in there and clinch nominations.
The campaign includes all the technical categories. These include Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, Best Costuming, Best Cinematography, and Best Score. Black Panther could stand a chance of scooping up several awards.
Also, “All The Stars” could be a possible Best Original Song nominee. No doubt a Kendrick Lamar and SZA duet would be a great performance at the Oscars. After all, it is not unusual for a hip hop song to score a nomination and eventually win. Remember “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” from Hustle and Flow?
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To date, no comic book movie has been able to score a Best Picture nomination. The Dark Knight won two Oscars in 2009- including Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger- after receiving six nominations. However, The Dark Knight‘s omission from the Best Picture category is seen as a major snub.
None of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films have won an Oscar, let alone score a nomination. Curiously, the DCEU does have them beat in that regard with a Best Makeup win for Suicide Squad.
What are your thoughts? Will Black Panther receive Oscar nominations? Can it reach that elusive Best Picture category? Sound off below.
