While Black Panther 2 introduced Shuri as the new protector of Wakanda, one name has been repeatedly referenced in the original and sequel. The name of Bashenga, who is the first king and Black Panther, has been part of the movie’s history and culture. After Black Panther 2 was released, fans were already asking for a spin-off title to Wakanda’s first Black Panther, and they want Ryan Coogler to make it a reality. The director was at the helm of the first two Black Panther films and is being considered for a third movie.
— Shaun Harrison (@shaun_harrison) November 26, 2022 The demand started when a talented Black artist named Shaun Harrison created stunning mockups for “Bashenga, The First Black Panther” and shared them on Twitter. His post included a list of characters and actors who would portray them. The mockups were done with the use of the popular AI program Midjourney, Adobe Photoshop, and After Effects. The scenes rendered with the AI software are stunning and very detailed. According to the post, the story of the First Black Panther will focus on the five tribes of Wakanda and their struggle for control of a newly found mineral called Vibranium. This mineral would be central to the future conflict between Wakanda and the Mayan kingdom of Talocan in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. From the post, Harrison listed John Boyega as the actor he wants to play Bashenga. Boyega previously took on the role of Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Brian Tyree Henry reprises his role as Phastos from the Eternals in the concept art. The actors listed in the post include rapper Doechii and singer Burna Boy. The concept art also includes a list of musicians that would provide the music as well as a choreographer. You have to hand it to Harrison, he gave this concept a lot of thought. The post has gotten 87.6K likes and 13.9K retweets at the time of writing. There have been numerous comments from fans expressing their excitement in seeing this concept become reality. Interestingly, Ryan Coogler is rumored to be working on a Black Panther spin-off title set in Wakanda. However, Black Panther producer Nate Moore recently said that the project has been placed on the back burner as the production team was occupied by Black Panther 2 and Ironheart. Hopefully, Marvel takes a good look at this concept and see that it’s worth doing. In addition, it would be awesome if Shaun Harrison gets to be part of the production team, if Marvel does decide to make it happen.
