Black Panther is becoming a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with his own standalone movie coming out early next year. However, that's not the only place to see the King of Wakanda on screen in the coming months. As it turns out, T'challa will also be getting his own LEGO movie, Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda.
Details were scarce at New York Comic-Con where the announcement was made (via Newsarama). Beyond the title, nothing was confirmed, though the project is described as a "Marvel LEGO special" which would seem to imply this will be either a direct to Blu-Ray release, or even something that will air on television, like a Disney Channel movie. This almost certainly won't be a feature film. It seems like an odd place to start for a Marvel LEGO feature anyway. There have been other LEGO/Marvel projects in the past, but none of them have seen the big screen. Since Warner Bros., that owns DC, also produces the LEGO feature films, a Marvel-branded one is fairly unlikely.
Having said that, making a Black Panther LEGO movie is certainly a move that makes sense. Millions more people are familiar with the character following his introduction in Captain America: Civil War, and his standalone movie is coming out early next year. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot when it comes to Black Panther.
And LEGO movies are always a fun way to use characters. The LEGO aesthetic allows for more humor than would normally be allowed for a more traditional Marvel project. It also lets the character take center stage for an audience of younger viewers that may not be quite ready for their introduction to the MCU.
While DC Comics have been the heroes of choice on the big screen, Marvel has still been doing big business with the toy brick company. In addition to the numerous toys you can buy, you also have the video games like LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 which is going to be released later this year. Between the upcoming game and the Black Panther movie, there's a good chance that Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda is eyeing a release over the next several months, as part of a tie-in with these other Marvel properties, though we don't know if this project has been in the works for a while, or is just now getting underway.
It's exciting to see Black Panther become a bigger part of the Marvel universe in all its forms. While we don't know when we'll be able to watch Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda, the MCU Black Panther movie is set to debut this February.
