(Marvel)
Anthony Mackie doesn’t feel it’s important that an African-American direct Black Panther, the upcoming Marvel movie which centers around a black superhero. The actor expressed this in a recent interview, saying a director’s race has no bearing on “their ability to tell a story.”
So far, every director behind a Marvel movie has been a white male. The studio is reportedly trying to break that trend with Black Panther. It was recently rumored that an offer had gone out to Selma director Ava DuVernay. She, however, later denied having any involvement with the film.
In a discussion with the Daily Beast, Mackie spoke about his role as Falcon, one of the only non-white superheros in the Marvel universe. The character has appeared in three Marvel movies so far, and is returning once again in next year’s Captain America: Civil War, which will feature the debut of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman).
“I don’t think it’s important at all,” Mackie said about finding a black filmmaker for the project. “As a director your job is to tell a story. You know, they didn’t get a horse to direct ‘Seabiscuit.’ The thing is I don’t think the race of the director has to do with their ability to tell a story.”
Mackie went on to say that a director’s main job is to “be able to relate to that story and do it justice.” He further asserted, “I think men can direct women, and two of my greatest work experiences were with female directors. So I think it all depends. May the best man, or woman, win.”
Black Panther isn’t scheduled to be released until February 2018. Tell Gossip Cop what you think of Mackie’s comments about a filmmaker’s race and storytelling ability having no correlation.
