She created an extensive “bible”, much like Wakanda’s first “Black Panther”, to explain the underwater civilization of King Namor.
Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler was tasked by director Ryan Coogler with making two movies in one for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”: a more hard tech expansion of the hardware and vehicles in Wakanda, along with the undersea world of Talokan. The new setting was conceived as a mirror of the Afrofuturist utopia introduced in “Black Panther”: Another ancient civilization — in this case, Mayan — forced into seclusion, but able to survive thanks to the powerful energy source of vibranium. The Talokans, led by King Namor (Tenoch Uerta), were driven to the ocean by Spanish persecution and massacre in the 16th Century. This was due to magical powers.
Beachler created a 400-page Bible, similar to one she had previously made for Wakanda. It took her two years. Not only did she have to find a way to root Talokan within Mayan culture, but she also had to discover how its people could survive underwater. The jellyfish that absorb oxygen directly from the water into their bodies made breathing difficult. It was decided that the Talokan would fall asleep like an otter if they were wrapped in kelp blankets.
“The bible had a timeline and the migration pattern from the Yucatán to the Puerto Rico Trench spanning 500 years,” Beachler told IndieWire. “What did that look like and where did they go? What was their underwater knowledge and architecture? They started genetically engineering kelp corn that we talked about a lot, and that became their main crop, like maze was for Maya — and they took that to the ocean. We did all the background work. We talked to marine biologists, oceanographers, ocean management experts about invasive and intrusive species, hydrothermal phenomena, and creatures under the ocean. We had to find out what it meant theoretically, as they were 12,000 feet below us. This was more fantastical than Wakanda.”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Annette Brown
The Talokan was modeled by Beachler after the Mayans of the Chiapas region in southern Mexico. Namor was named after King Pakal, the child ruler. They had a river that passed through the Temple of the Inscriptions. They were proficient in water and the first to make rubber clothes and to farm in the wetlands. “I thought of that group of people that migrated to the coast of the lowlands of the Yucatan,” Beachler continued. “They fished and traded in the ports, and they were very family- and community-oriented.”
Beachler then had to translate this to survive under water. “What did they eat? What did they eat? How did they live?,” she said. First, she brought them from Tulum in the Gulf and kept them there for many centuries. They lived in interconnected caves that were filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and other minerals. This is what we see in the film, when Namor takes Wakandan princess Shuri on a tour (Letitia Wright). This set was lit with bioluminescence by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw.
There’s also Namor’s private room containing a vast series of murals on the walls depicting his story and the history of the Talokan through their interaction with nature and animal spirits. There were also sets in tanks with scenery such as the 20-foot tank where underwater stuntmen played traditional Mesoamerican ballcourt games through a 7 foot hoop.
However, the Talokan continued getting pushed farther into the ocean depths of the Atlantic, where it’s much darker. “There was this idea of not knowing up from down and we wanted to treat water like space, where they seem to float,” said Beachler. “That’s why Shuri’s in the big space uniform — the underwater submersible suit. She’s like an alien to them. At the same time, we didn’t want the architecture of the buildings to seem alien. It should feel human because the people who live there still have that feeling. They use jade to cut stone and they create heavier architecture living in cliff side caves.”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Annette Brown
However, the 12,000-foot elevation limit was their biggest challenge. However, they discovered algae and other biological materials that produced bioluminescence in their research. This breakthrough enabled the filmmakers to plausibly convey muted colors through the diffuse murk with the aid of blue light and other bioluminescent means.”Over the years, the Talokan brought this certain type of red algae,” said Beachler. “They would take limestone, crush it, paste it, put pigment in it to create the red, and paint it on the temples.”
Even the Talokan engineers discovered a way to create an artificial sun using vibranium. This became a visual effect from Wētā FX that enhanced the dramatic effect in Namor’s Throne Room when he prepares for war with Wakanda.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Marvel Studios
The Talokan used vibranium to make jewelry and weapons, including the water bombs. “I think [the jewelry] is something they did when they discovered it was so beautiful,” Beachler said. “And then to protect themselves, the scientists learned how to use this to their advantage.”
Beachler thanks Coogler for tying Wakanda to Talokan in such a close relationship. “I love how Wakanda wonders if they should show themselves to the world in the first film, and how that found itself through to Talokan,” she said. “And they’re not debating it. They decided not to. Much of the Mayan civilization was destroyed. Their books were burnt, they were denied the right to speak their native language, so they had to learn Spanish. This is what Wakanda did for Black Americans in the diaspora and their African history. These two cultures have gone through so much of the same destruction from outside forces.”
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