In yesterday’s episode of Queen Sugar, showrunner Ava DuVernay and OWN network founder Oprah Winfrey moved mountains and worked with Disney’s Bob Iger and Ryan Coogler to deliver a brief but touching tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, star of Marvel’s Black Panther. The scene, which you can see below, features a licensed Black Panther action figure, and given the nature of big media companies and intellectual property trademarks, it was more complicated than just writing the heartwarming scene into the script. Somebody had to make a lot of phone calls to make it happen, and DuVernay took to Twitter today to shed a little light on the situation.
To show the BLACK PANTHER doll on “Queen Sugar” last night took the strength of two friendships. That of our network founder and the head of the studio that made the film. And my own with the film’s director. Thanks to all who touched this scene. “That’s a good place for a king.” pic.twitter.com/3XzD8LmYMk
