Black Panther Pitch Meeting

* Main
* Transcript

**Black Panther Pitch Meeting** is the twenty-second episode of the Pitch Meeting series on Screen Rant.

## Description

Black Panther has made a huge impact on the MCU and audiences and it's only just hit the big screen. A critical and commercial success, it's likely we'll be seeing more of T'Challa and Wakanda after Thanos' war comes to an end in the final two Avengers films, which will see Black Panther return. But as well-received as the movie is among fans and critics alike, no movie is perfect. Join us as we take a peek into the pitch meeting that definitely happened before the making of Black Panther. It had to have gone down like this. It just had to.

## Cast

* Producer Guy - Ryan George
* Screenwriter Guy - Ryan George

**Producer Guy:** So you have a new script for me.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yes sir I do, and this one's all about Black Panther.

**Producer Guy:** Oh, very cool.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah.

**Producer Guy:** So what other Avengers are in it?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Oh, uh, none. None. It's just Black Panther.

**Producer Guy:** Oh. No.

**Screenwriter Guy:** No?

**Producer Guy:** We don't do that anymore.

**Screenwriter Guy:** *[confused]* What do you mean?

**Producer Guy:** If you're doing a solo Marvel movie you need more than one superhero in there. Like how Iron Man was in *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, or how *Guardians* is about a team of space heroes, or how we put everyone in *Captain America: Civil War*. It's just how we sell things now.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well what about *Doctor Strange*?

**Producer Guy:** Yeah, see that didn't even make it into our top ten highest grossing movies.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Oh.

**Producer Guy:** Yeah we kinda thought it would sell itself 'cause of the starpower of Blemeditch Comberbotch.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Right, well, I'd still like to give it a try.

**Producer Guy:** You think a Chadwick Boseman led movie is gonna do better than one led by Bernadack Camberbench?

**Screenwriter Guy:** I think it could.

**Producer Guy:** This is Barnacle Clampersnatch we're talking here.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Okay, you're not even trying to say his name right anymore, are you?

**Producer Guy:** Yeah no, I stopped trying.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Listen, I think if this movie tells a good story, it could do pretty well.

**Producer Guy:** *[doubtful]* Pfff. Alright. So, what's the story?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well T'Challa goes home to Wakanda now that his dad is dead and he's the Black Panther.

**Producer Guy:** Ah, and Captain America and Bucky are there.

**Screenwriter Guy:** No, they're not.

**Producer Guy:** You have to mention them. We showed them there at the end of *Civil War*.

**Screenwriter Guy:** *[upset]* Seriously?

**Producer Guy:** Mmhmm.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Okay, I'll throw Bucky in a post-credits scene I guess.

**Producer Guy:** *[fist pumps]* Yes! Awesome.

**Screenwriter Guy:** So we're good now?

**Producer Guy:** Oh yeah! Now we're gonna be able to sell this movie!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Really?

**Producer Guy:** Yeah, now we have that Sebastian Stan starpower, so we're good.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well, great. So anyway, for T'Challa's coronation where he becomes Black Panther, he has to drink this thing that takes away his Black Panther powers.

**Producer Guy:** Wait, he already has the powers?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, he had them in *Civil War*.

**Producer Guy:** Right but we're saying he's about to become Black Panther because his dad died.

**Screenwriter Guy:** That's right.

**Producer Guy:** *[confused]* And to do that they have to make him… not Black Panther anymore? How- How does that work?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, we're not really gonna explain that in the movie.

**Producer Guy:** Oh.

**Screenwriter Guy:** But, we will explain it in a *Black Panther* prelude comic, so if fans wanna know more-

**Producer Guy:** *[excited]* They can pay me money!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Exactly!

**Producer Guy:** Money is tight!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Oh, are you having money problems?

**Producer Guy:** *[confused]* No. What?

**Screenwriter Guy:** You said money was tight.

**Producer Guy:** *[cheery]* It is tight!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Okay, so anyway, T'Challa has to go through this ceremony where people can try to… kill him, if they wanna be king.

**Producer Guy:** *[taken aback]* Whoa.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, they don't mess around in Wakanda.

**Producer Guy:** You'd think as the most advanced nation in the world they'd have figured out a way to move past bloodlines and death fights.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well, it's tradition, so, what are you gonna do?

**Producer Guy:** Try not to die, I guess.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah. But other than death fights, Wakanda's a pretty cool place.

**Producer Guy:** Oh yeah?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah. they have a bunch of awesome stuff like vibranium weapons, and cool ships, and super crazy technology.

**Producer Guy:** Very cool.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Also war rhinos.

**Producer Guy:** Did you say "war rhinos"?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, war rhinos.

**Producer Guy:** What does that even mean?

**Screenwriter Guy:** War rhinos! Like, you know, rhinoceroses of war.

**Producer Guy:** If they have vibranium weapons, why do they need rhinos?

**Screenwriter Guy:** That's actually a good question. Let me check here, I think I have an explanation. *[flips through the script]* Ah, yeah. Because it's awesome.

**Producer Guy:** It sounds kind of silly.

**Screenwriter Guy:** *[impatient]* It's awesome!

**Producer Guy:** Yeah, but they-

**Screenwriter Guy:** Okay, look. I didn't wanna have to do this but if you don't let me put war rhinos in this movie I'm gonna go on a tweet storm of *Infinity War* spoilers, so help me God!

**Producer Guy:** *[stunned]* You wouldn't!

**Screenwriter Guy:** I want those rhinos!

**Producer Guy:** 'Kay look at me. Put the phone down! We'll put the rhinos in the movie!

**Screenwriter Guy:** *[cheery]* Great, thanks!

**Producer Guy:** So what else happens?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well there's this dude named Klaue who stole a bunch of vibranium from Wakanda back in the day and killed a bunch of people and then never aged.

**Producer Guy:** Okay.

**Screenwriter Guy:** And we see him and this guy Killmonger steal an artifact from a museum that nobody knew was actually made of vibranium.

**Producer Guy:** How come they know it's made of vibranium?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Because.

**Producer Guy:** Okay.

**Screenwriter Guy:** And so Klaue goes to Korea to sell this vibranium to an American buyer.

**Producer Guy:** Where does Killmonger go?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Oh, well he goes… away. For a good chunk of the movie.

**Producer Guy:** Mysterious.

**Screenwriter Guy:** So the Wakandans find out about this deal and they see it as their chance to finally capture Klaue.

**Producer Guy:** Oh, yeah. Get some sweet justice!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Right, and this guy W'Kabi's parents were killed by Klaue back in the day. So T'Challa tells him "My man, I'm definitely gonna capture this guy for you. You have my word. I promise. This is gonna happen. I'm gonna do this for you. I swear to God."

**Producer Guy:** So that's obviously not gonna work out.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah no, it doesn't work out.

**Producer Guy:** What happens?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well they do capture Klaue but then Killmonger shows up and helps him escape.

**Producer Guy:** Ah, Killmonger's back!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, turns out he had his own evil plan going on this whole time.

**Producer Guy:** Oh, what's he planning?

**Screenwriter Guy:** His plan is to kill Klaue and bring him to Wakanda to show that he's better than T'Challa.

**Producer Guy:** And I imagine it's gonna be hard for him to get into Wakanda.

**Screenwriter Guy:** No, actually super easy, barely an inconvenience.

**Producer Guy:** Really?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, he's just gonna kinda walk in and then immediately run into W'Kabi.

**Producer Guy:** Oh that is convenient.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, I mean the very first person he runs into is the one that would have the most emotional response to seeing Klaue's body, so… that works out well for him.

**Producer Guy:** But I guess T'Challa can just defuse the whole situation by explaining what happened.

**Screenwriter Guy:** You'd think so, like "Hey W'Kabi, we did capture Klaue but this guy Killmonger attacked the holding cell with explosives".

**Producer Guy:** Right. That would defuse things.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, for sure. Anyway, he doesn't do that.

**Producer Guy:** Oh, okay.

**Screenwriter Guy:** And as it turns out, Killmonger is T'Challa's cousin and his dad was killed by T'Challa's dad.

**Producer Guy:** Uh-oh.

**Screenwriter Guy:** So he challenges him to a death fight and throws him off a waterfall.

**Producer Guy:** Whoa.

**Screenwriter Guy:** And so Killmonger becomes king, and he wants to send vibranium throughout the world to help oppressed people rise up and-

**Producer Guy:** *[confused]* Wawawait, hold on! What are you doing?!

**Screenwriter Guy:** What's up?

**Producer Guy:** You're kind of developing this villain a lot!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, I guess.

**Producer Guy:** Well that's not really what we do here!

**Screenwriter Guy:** Right, but maybe we could… you know, try that.

**Producer Guy:** *[scoffs]* You're crazy, man. Alright, well, we'll give it a shot. You're nuts!

**Screenwriter Guy:** So anyway, T'Challa was being kept alive by this tribe called the Jabari. And so he's like "Hey, help us come reclaim the throne" and they're like "No".

**Producer Guy:** Harsh.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah and then T'Challa goes back and there's a huge fight between everyone.

**Producer Guy:** Very cool.

**Screenwriter Guy:** And right when it seems like everything's gonna go wrong, the Jabari tribe shows up to help.

**Producer Guy:** Oh, good thing they suddenly changed their mind at the exact right moment.

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, it's a pretty sudden and great change of heart with millisecond-precise timing.

**Producer Guy:** And how does it end?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Well then T'Challa and Killmonger have a CGI cat fight and Killmonger dies.

**Producer Guy:** Wait, are you saying there's a final fight full of CGI where the hero fights a bad guy who has similar powers?

**Screenwriter Guy:** Yeah, I guess so.

**Producer Guy:** Now that is a Marvel third act! I love it!

**Screenwriter Guy:** So you think it'll do well?

**Producer Guy:**: Well we kinda have to make this movie to set up *Infinity War*, but based on what you've told me… no, I don't think it's gonna do well at all.

*[cut to headline: **Black Panther Is Now The Highest Grossing Superhero Film of All-Time**]*