NEW ORLEANS – He’s a real movie star.
He’s now starring in Black Panther, the movie based on the Marvel Comics superhero.
He’s Michael B. Jordan.
In the movie, he stars as a villain which is a character he says he’s really wanted to play for a long time. He is the ruthless villain Erik Killmonger. And he gets to battle against the other big star of the movie.
In the movie, he wants revenge for the murder of his dad.
And he wants even more than that.
He actually wants to become the Black Panther.
When WGNO News with a Twist features guy Wild Bill Wood saw him on the court at an NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in New Orleans, Wild Bill just had to ask the movie star, himself, the question.
What does the “B” stand for in his name, Michael B. Jordan?
Michael tells Wild Bill the “B” stands for Bakari.
Michael tells Wild Bill, “it’s Swahili and it means noble promise.”
And nobody has ever more lived up to his name in or out of show business.
Swahili is the language of African countries like Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
In the movie Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan shows how he’s moved from the teen actor and the guy always teased about his name, you know the question: was he named for the basketball superstar Michael Jordan?
To prepare for his role, Michael let his hair down, literally.
He let it grow.
To look different.
And he trained by lifting weights and fight training. He gained fifteen pounds.
And you’ll see all that on the big screen when you see the movie.
