Actually Denzel and Will Smith's success doesn't necessarily prove that. Because you see new white stars that are produced all the time but how many black stars that are getting that kind of push? I think Denzel and Will Smith could wind up being tokens or the handy examples to pull out to say "see there's no problem".
Actually it proves my point because it is possible to have black leads, Hollywood is just too stubborn and careful to experiment and get out of their own comfort zone to push other black actors to the front (and lord knows there's a ton of talented black actors).
I also disagree that everyone starts small and works their way up. I think some people do, but I wouldn't assume that that happens for all. And I do think that Hollywood gets in there and promotes certain people. Sometimes these are people of color (Zoe Saldana), but often they are not.
Some make it as an instant splash entry, usually by lucking out and landing a sleeper hit like the Twillight actors but usually those quickly fade once they are out of the franchise or grow up. Rarely do they have lasting star power as an A lister like Jennifer Lawrence currently and those few have actual talent that gives them long term career prospects (winning an Oscar and a shitton of other awards certainly helps).
Then there's people Hollywood are pushing with no discernible talent like Sam Worthington who are merely adequate actors who get major roles for whatever reason and are popular for a time but sooner or later they fizzle out (in this case all he really has is Avatar and the popularity of it has more to do with the technical side of the movie and the production design than actual acting).
I think general audiences do care about skin color. It might not be a conscious thing, perhaps subconscious for some, but I think it is reflected in how much non-black support films with black cast get for example. Or in the excuses made that black films aren't 'profitable' overseas. Certain black actors have 'transcended' race to be safe enough for whites or non-blacks to accept like Denzel and Will Smith. But we still have an issue with the depiction of black characters, especially those rooted in a history or culture that isn't white, and also the idea of black-black/intraracial relationships seem to turn general audiences off. So I see a lot of these as problematic for Black Panther.
All this comes down once again to Hollywood hesitance to step out of the comfort zone. Maybe white's won't be interested in some black ghetto drama bit once you enter summer blockbuster areas where's the difference?
Why wouldn't a black actor work out as the central character in Jurassic World and replace Chris Pratt? Anthony Mackie from Cap 2 is the same age range and he has proven that he can do both action and humor in a charming way in that movie.
For me it comes down again to Hollywood business practice because they don't risk anything with 200 million+ movies. In that way they are even more resistant to change than the worst society has to offer. It would take a series of hits by various black actors to prove them wrong and show them that black leads can put asses in the seats.
However if and when that happens prepare for a dam breaking event as every studio will scramble to grab top black talent to earn money. In that way they are both hypocrite and progressive at the same time.
They might have to divorce him from his roots and perhaps give him a non-black or racially ambiguous love interest, if they touch on any love interest at all. Because I do think there is a problem with depicting healthy black or intraracial sexual relationships in the mainstream. And to me there is precedent for this in the comics, where they took T'Challa out of Wakanda and put him in Hell's Kitchen with a largely non-black supporting cast, reduced Storm's role until eventually they annulled the marriage in AvX. I don't know if he's had a relationship since that point in Hickman's New Avengers.
Do this and you are veering awfully close to Fantastic Four levels of bad. T'Challa and his background are intricately linked to Wakanda and i believe Marvel is respecting this and will include it (as evidenced by the setup in Avengers 2). General movie audiences who have never read about Black Panther wouldn't care but their nerd friends would and if they say the movie is crap then they won't go and that's not something Marvel will risk (on top of that despite Marvel's strict handling of their business i still believe they care about the origin material and only change it when absolutely necessary).
