Ava DuVernay Won’t Be Directing ‘Black Panther’ Movie

by: April D. Byrd

The first Black female superhero movie director moment is going to have to be put on hold...for now. 

It turns out those rumors of Ava DuVernay directing Marvel’s Black Panther movie were not totally factual—she considered it, but passed.
 
The Selma director told Essence she did meet with execs about bringing the story of Marvel’s first superhero of color to life, but they had different ideas of how to move forward.
 
“I guess I'll declare my independence from this rumor on 4th of July weekend and Essence weekend!” DuVernay said on her way to accept a McDonald’s 365 Award during the Essence Festival in New Orleans.

“I'm not signing on to direct Black Panther,” she added. “I think I’ll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be. Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they’re fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me.”
 
The Black Panther movie is currently in the works, with Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up) slated to play the role of T’Challa, the ruler of the fictional nation of Wakanda and the first Black superhero to appear in a mainstream comic book franchise in the 60s.

“I loved meeting Chadwick and writers and all the Marvel execs,” said DuVernay. “In the end, it comes down to story and perspective. And we just didn't see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later.”
 
The civil right pilot she recently shot for CBS, tentatively titled For Justice, didn’t get picked up. “We turned it in the week of the Baltimore uprising, and we had an uprising in our piece when we filmed it,” she said. “I think they thought it was a little close to real life. But I had an absolute ball making it.”

DuVernay, is currently filming a love story set against Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. 


Read the full post here.

You can follow this conversation and the latest updates on Trey Anthony's Facebook fan page.

Watch This! A Story of Sisterhood: "The Door" By Ava DuVernay & Mui Mui, Starring Gabby Union, Goapele & Alfre Woodard

 
Last night I watched "The Door", a short film collaboration between filmmaker Ava DuVernay and fashion brand Miu Miu as part of the brand's "Women's Tales" series. And, I was completely blown away by the film's stunning visuals and the simplicity of the story telling. The silent film infuses everything - music, bold colours and beautiful fashion - to tell a story of sisterhood, love, the people in our lives who lift us up when we refuse to pick ourselves up after loss and our journeys back to becoming whole again.

"The Door" showcases the kinds of essential friendships that every womyn needs in her circle: the older sister figure who is there to listen and give you advice, the fun sister-friend who is guaranteed to make you laugh and take you out of your comfort zone, the close friend who when shows up you know everything will be all right and then finally the mother figure who is wise enough to advise you that things will get better. Whether you see these characteristics in different friends or perhaps in one girlfriend, it makes you really think about who you would lean on in your hardest of times.

Here's a description of the film:

The Door, by Ava DuVernay, the fifth Miu Miu Women’s Tale, is a celebration of the transformative power of feminine bonds, and a symbolic story of life change. The symbolic centre of The Door is the front entrance of the protagonist’s home. As she opens it to greet a friend in the powerfully framed opening scenes, she is shrouded in an oblique sadness.

“In the film, characters arrive at the door of a friend in need, bringing something of themselves,” explains director DuVernay. “Eventually, we witness our heroine ready to walk through the door on her own. The door in the film represents a pathway to who we are.”

Clothing is also a symbol of renewal, each change of costume charting our heroine’s emergence from a chrysalis of sadness. In the final scenes, she takes off her ring, pulls on long, black leather gloves, and walks, transformed by the emotive power of the clothing, through the door.

I can go on about what a beautiful portrayal of friendship, black womyn and self-discovery this but watch it for yourselves here:

Meet me in the comment section and tell me what you think of this film!