Busan gears up for the arrival of Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’

Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Black Panther” is slated to begin shooting action scenes in Busan next week, although which stars will visit Korea remains unknown. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Marvel Studios will shoot part of its new superhero film “Black Panther” in the city of Busan starting next week, but which stars will visit Korea remains unknown until the movie is unveiled on silver screens.

“We have not been told which actors or actresses will come to Korea for the shoot and it will remain that way until the film is put up on screens,” said a source from Walt Disney Company Korea.

Busan announced last week that the production team from Walt Disney Company Korea and Marvel Studios met Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo to discuss parts of the scenes that will be depicted in its new superhero saga.

Marvel will reportedly use Busan as the backdrop for huge car chase action scenes, gun battles and scenes involving helicopters.

The shooting is scheduled to take place for 12 days starting on March 17 at various locations, including Busan’s major tourist attractions like Jagalchi Market, Gwanganli Beach and Gwangan Bridge.

A number of scenes in the movie will feature items promoting the city such as a Busan City Tour bus, electronic signboards and posters, although specific details were unspoken.

Representatives from Marvel are known to have stayed in Korea to prepare for the upcoming shooting. Some 2,000 members of the cast and crew, around 150 of whom will be Korean, will work on the film’s shoot in Busan, which is expected to cost the studio approximately 5.5 billion won ($4,910,000) in production fees.

“The publicity effect derived from the cooperation between the global Hollywood project and Asia’s central city Busan will be immeasurable,” said an official from the Busan city government, who added, “Filming ’Black Panther’ in Busan will be a great opportunity to internationally publicize Busan, where there are a number of attractions.”

However, some experts question how the depiction of Busan will actually promote the port city, considering the limitations seen in “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), which was partially shot in Seoul and Gyeonggi.

Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira, “Black Panther” features a new ruler, who takes over the African nation of Wakanda, after the murder of his father and his efforts to defend the land from being torn apart by outside forces. The film is set for worldwide release next February.

Busan is known for hosting Asia’s biggest film event, the Busan International Film Festival.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]