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Sam Sanders, NPR

With 'Black Panther' and 'Captain Marvel,' a movie studio steps toward diversity

Actor Chadwick Boseman
Actor Chadwick Boseman attends the premiere of "Get On Up" on July 21 in New York City. Boseman will portray Black Panther in an upcoming Marvel Studios film.
Jemal Countess / Getty Images

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At an event in Hollywood Tuesday, the Marvel Studios announced a number of movies, but two stood out: Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Both of those films will feature lead actors who aren't white men. Chadwick Boseman will play the Black Panther. The film's set to be released Nov. 3, 2017. Boseman's recently been seen in 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic, and Get on Up, a film looking back on the life of James Brown. Boseman was at the announcement on Tuesday, and said, "I'm blessed to be a part of this Marvel Universe, and to work with you both, and I look forward to making magic together." Captain Marvel's lead role will be played by a woman, but the name of that actress was not announced. Captain Marvel will be released July 6, 2018. Marvel says it will be the first female-led film from its studios. The Los Angeles Times reports diversity has long been a sore spot for Marvel:

"As Marvel has continued to churn out big-budget hits, the company has increasingly come under fire for focusing on white male heroes. Among the flagship "Avengers" team, for example, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is the only person of color (not counting Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk, who's occasionally green), and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow is the sole woman. (Neither Fury nor Widow have headlined their own films.)"

The Black Panther and Captain Marvel news comes just a few weeks after Marvel turned heads when it launched a new comic book with a female Thor character. Marvel announced 10 new movie release dates in all at Tuesday's event, including a new Avengers film in 2018 and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in 2017. Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.