‘Black Panther’ Producer Likens Killmonger’s Motives To Godfather Story

Black Panther will reunite audiences with T’Challa and this time the eponymous hero will come into conflict with Erik Killmonger, a Wakandan exile who seeks to overthrow the new King of Wakanda. During a press set visit, producer Nate Moore discussed Killmonger’s motivations and explained how the antagonist’s plans are similar to those of the five families in Francis Ford Coppola’ The Godfather.

Director Ryan Coogler has previously discussed how films including The Godfather were influences on Black Panther and Nate Moore expanded on the comparisons, noting that feud between T’Challa and Killmonger is not unlike the power struggle depicted in the acclaimed crime drama:

“The interesting comparison we’ve been making, and this is going to sound crazy, but we’ve always thought of the Black Panther as a James Bond kind of movie, right? This big, globetrotting epic, but in talking with Ryan Coogler, the director, one of the things that he also liked was this sort of Godfather kind of storytelling. When I say ‘Godfather’ it’s the idea that, it’s very much a story about family and a story about an organization where new leadership is taking place. Much like the Godfather, you have the five families, right? They’re all vying for power, and in this case, it’s power over Wakanda. I think Killmonger sees Wakanda as something that could be used differently than it currently is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that puts him directly at odds with T’Challa.”

How this conflict will unfold remains to be seen, but audiences will finally see both Marvel characters go head-to-head when the film arrives in theaters next month.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, the Marvel film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke,  Florence Kasumba, Sterling K. Brown, Andy Serkis and John Kan.

Black Panther will be released in theaters on February 16, 2018.

Source: ComicBook.com