Andy Serkis thinks his Black Panther director Ryan Coogler deserves major awards recognition for his work on the movie.
The new Marvel superhero movie has received overwhelming praise from critics and is on course to break records at the U.S. box office, and Andy says the film should be a contender at next year's (19) Oscars.
Asked if the film could be the first superhero movie to win a host of Academy Awards, the 53-year-old actor singled out Ryan as the man who deserved recognition.
"I think it absolutely should (win awards)," he told Cover Media. "Because it is brilliantly directed by Ryan Coogler, he has great vision. It's very honest filmmaking. It comes from the heart and he has wanted to tell this story for a long time."
The British star plays villainous South African arms dealer Ulysses Klaue in the film, which is based in the fictional technologically advanced African kingdom of Wakanda.
Black Panther marks the first superhero blockbuster to feature a predominantly non-white cast, and Andy reckons his castmates, including lead actor Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, and Michael B. Jordan, might be the best collection of actors he's worked with.
"You've got an ensemble of actors that is second to none," he praised. "Every single character has a great journey and a moment to shine. It's a wonderful ensemble piece."
Andy has starred in some of cinema’s biggest blockbusters, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the new Star Wars films, but he shared that no movie has had as big an impact on fans as Black Panther.
"I don't think I've ever been involved in a movie that's been so highly anticipated and I've been involved in quite a few big movies, but there was something very special about this," he explained. "We've realised what this film means culturally and the cultural significance is highly important in that it's broken barriers in this type of movie making."
