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A Wrinkle in Time: Meet the Cast!

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A Wrinkle in Time: Meet the Cast!

By Erin

*We attended a screening/press conference as a guest of Disney*

I am beyond thrilled to see one of my all time favorite books turned into a magical adventure on the big screen. What makes it even more special is the cast! Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon? Both amazing women I’ve looked up to since I was a little girl. Then you add in an incredible visionary director, Ava DuVernay who is from my home town of Long Beach, California. You can bet I am more than excited to see this film come to life. Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” is an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic that takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light, good versus evil and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light. A Wrinkle in Time comes out in theaters on Friday, March 9th.

I had the pleasure to meet the cast a couple weeks ago at the press conference in Holllywood, California. Here is what they had to share with us about the film, it was full of magic.

The talent in attendance was:
  •  Oprah Winfrey (“Mrs. Which”)
  •  Reese Witherspoon (“Mrs. Whatsit”)
  •  Mindy Kaling (“Mrs. Who”)
  •  Storm Reid (“Meg Murry”)
  • Chris Pine (“Dr. Alex Murry”)
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Dr. Kate Murry”)
  •  Zach Galifianakis (“The Happy Medium”)
  •  Rowan Blanchard (“Veronica”)
  •  Levi Miller (“Calvin”)
  •  Deric McCabe (“Charles Wallace Murry”)
  •  Director Ava DuVernay
  • Jennifer Lee (Screenplay by)

For all of the Wrinkle in Time loyalists from the 1960s, what is the greatest shift that you made to adapt it to 2018?

JENNIFER LEE: I think we talked a lot about what makes Wrinkle so amazing and has resonated for decades and decades is because there is a timeless quality to the themes she’s dealing with. But we did look a lot at what are those themes today, what do they mean today? And how do you stay true to that, but re-interpret them in a way that we all say this is our world? This is what we understand. So we just had a lot of conversations about what we were inspired by and then what that meant to us growing up and to children now and to the world now.

Love is a huge through-line in this movie. They are a modern family, an interracial couple, a beautiful 2018 family. Chris, what was it like for you playing a scientist in this very complex story about wanting to move the narrative forward as a culture but the culture’s not ready for it?

CHRIS PINE: Well, I had so much fun with this guy, Dr. Alexander. He is so cool. This book, Jazz of Physics, I love jazz and I love John Coltrane. He opens the book talking about the music of the universe and how music and John Coltrane and physics and stars are one of the same thing and I just fell in love with this guy. I could talk to him for hours. The poor guy was having emails all the time asking him the dumbest things of all time. Something he said that I thought was really interesting and this may be part of the movie or not, but he was talking about how in what he’s doing now, it’s like we are all part of the same thing and in his studies, in his academic studies, he not only studies physics but he studies music, and then he studies painting, it’s like this incredible hive of a bursting mind. So I think that’s what I really enjoyed about this character is that his brain is hungry and searching and explorative. Obviously that ambition to do great things propels him forward to do some wonderful things scientifically, but unfortunately that kind of shadow side of him, ambition, it disconnects from what is most important in his life and what requires his daughter to reintroduce him to, which is the spirit and the beauty and regenerative quality of being next to human beings, touching and feeling and holding and kissing. All those things that make us human.

Ava Duvernay was asked how she felt about how the film turned out.

AVA DUVERNAY:  I feel like I tried and gave everything I had to a film again. So if that’s the it, then yes. There’s love in every frame of this movie and there’s love in every frame of everything that I do. I don’t have children. I won’t have children by choice. These films are my children, are what I leave behind. They have my name on them, have my blood in them. And so I feel I did that. And from there, you offer it up to the world and you hope that they can see our intention. But this was an extraordinary experience for me. It’s emotional to sit here with all of them because we really held hands on this and became a family, trying to just give a little bit of sweetness to the world in these dark times. It’s a tough time right now. This film really saved me in a lot of ways from kind of going down dark holes and kept me in a really light-filled place so I’m grateful for the past few years working on A Wrinkle in Time.

Oprah was told that her role was absolutely perfectly tailored to her, Mrs. Which. It’s like art imitating life. Did you feel that when you were playing the character?

OPRAH WINFREY: Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, I actually did. No, you all have heard me say this before and it’s so true. Ava and I are talking on the phone and when she went to New Zealand and posted pictures of scouting for New Zealand, I had been in New Zealand the year before, in Auckland and did not get to the South Island. I had wanted to do that. And so wanted to do that. Everybody says, you didn’t get to the South Island, you haven’t really seen New Zealand. So when I heard that she was going to be filming in New Zealand, I said, I’m going. I’m going. I’m just gonna go. She goes, what do you mean, go? I go, I’m just gonna go hang out with you for however long it takes, I’m gonna block it on my schedule, I’m gonna be there, I’m gonna watch you shoot and say action. Do that, and you know, because I can.  Ava said, well if you’re serious about that, you’d actually come to New Zealand? I go, for sure I’m gonna be there. And she said well, why not take a look at the script? I’ve been wanting to ask you to do this, but I didn’t want to pressure you because of our friendship. I go, okay, I’ll do it. I didn’t even know what it was. I’ll do it.

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Marvel’s Black Panther Movie

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Marvel’s Black Panther

By Erin

The time has finally come! The next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther, is out!  In 2016, we welcomed T’Challa/Black Panther to the big screen and he was introduced to us in “Captain America: Civil War,” the record-breaking hit film that pitted the Avengers against one another. When the Black Panther character debuted in the ’60s it was a daring move for the Marvel bullpen of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to introduce this new character, an African character who is smarter than many of the other heroes and is stronger than most of the other heroes. To be able to put that on the big screen fifty years later is incredibly exciting to see!

Over the years, plans for rolling out a “Black Panther” chapter into the Marvel Studios pipeline had been discussed, but it ultimately came to fruitation when Feige opted to showcase Black Panther in “Civil War” as a springboard for a stand-alone feature film, so here we are with this masterpiece.

Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) ©Marvel Studios 2018

“Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, afer the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, he returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to take his rightful place as King. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life. It’s a very powerful film and I wanted to share some fun facts about the film before (or after if you’ve already seen it!) you head out to go see it.

  • Marvel’s Black Panther character made his debut in the comic book world in “Fantastic Four Vol. 1” Issue 52, published in 1966.
  • An important part of the Black Panther lore incorporated into the film is the Dora Milaje, the cadre of strong fierce women who serve as the personal security force to the King and royal family. These tall, statuesque, bald-headed warrior women, who move as one, command attention wherever they go.
  • Led by Danai Gurira’s character, Okoye, the Dora Milaje security force features an international contingent of women from all over the world, including Florence Kasumba who returns to play Ayo, a character that first appeared in Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Civil War.” The Dora Milaje were cast from a pool of actresses, stunt women and Broadway dancers so that each individual Dora could have specialized skills that they brought to the table.

Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Ayo (Florence Kasumba) Photo: Matt Kennedy© Marvel Studios 2018

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Meet the Cast of the Black Panther!

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Meet the Cast of the Black Panther!

By Erin

Marvel Studios is coming out with one of the most anticipated super-hero films ever; Black Panther, the story of T’Challa, a young African prince who takes on the mantle of King and Super Hero, and the centuries-old legacy that comes with it. T’Challa returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to become king, but when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Long known for its revolutionary creative vision, Marvel Comics has introduced its audiences to a diverse roster of Super Heroes since 1939, most notably with the groundbreaking Black Panther character that made its first appearance in “Fantastic Four Vol. 1” Issue 52, published in 1966. Arriving in theatres everywhere on February 16, 2018, you won’t want to miss this one!

Before going out to see it, check out what the cast had to share with us at the press conference about this amazing film!

In attendance was:

  •         Chadwick Boseman (“T’Challa / Black Panther”) 
  •          Lupita Nyong’o (“Nakia”)
  •          Michael B. Jordan (“Erik Killmonger”)
  •          Danai Gurira (“Okoye”)
  •          Angela Bassett (“Ramonda”) 
  •          Forest Whitaker (“Zuri”)
  •          Andy Serkis (“Ulysses Klaue”)
  •          Martin Freeman (“Everett K Ross”)
  •          Daniel Kaluuya (“W’Kabi”)
  •          Winston Duke (“M’Baku”)
  •          Letitia Wright (“Shuri”)
  •          Director Ryan Coogler
  •          Producer Kevin Feige

Chadwick Boseman. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

The first topic that was discussed was about when Chadwick Boseman got the call to play Black Panther in Civil War, and if he knew that role would end up having a movie based solely around him later on?  

Chadwick: The initial phone call from Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Nate Moore and the Russo Brothers was one where they essentially said, ‘We want to bring your character into the Marvel Comic Universe – as a stand-alone, but this is the best way to introduce him in Civil War.’  So I was aware of it.  And I think when I was shooting Civil War, I was not aware that other people weren’t aware that this was going to happen, because it was such at the forefront of my mind and when we did the introduction at El Capitan.  So – I’m sorry that you didn’t know that. But at the same time, I love the fact that it’s a surprise to people.

Many props were given to the ladies of Wakanda. All the ladies are so powerful, so beautiful, and so regal on that screen.  This film is Black Panther, but could also have been called The Bad-Ass Women of Wakanda.  For real. “The bad ass women of Wakanda” term came from the moderator of the press Junket, Nischelle Turner from E.T. (Entertainment Tonight). Beautiful Angela Bassett plays the queen and she shared how proud she was of the film.

Angela:  I was so pleased that this story, written by Ryan, and Joe Robert Cole, and Marvel, that it supported that. In African culture, they feel as if there is no king without a queen. I think in this story, it highlights the queen, the warrior, the general – the young sister.  I was so proud to have my daughter, and my son there last night, because in their faces, and in their spirit –and they were feeling themselves. And they stood taller after last night.

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