Days ahead of the release of the anticipated sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, director Ryan Coogler is opening up on his relationship with late actor Chadwick Boseman. In 2020, Boseman died during pre-production on the sequel which was originally intended to bring back the actor to play T’Challa. The story was rewritten from scratch following Boseman’s death in a way that honors the beloved performer along with his character.
Ahead of the film’s arrival, a tie-in podcast was launched to provide Marvel fans with more behind-the-scenes insight. This includes Coogler describing his final interaction with Boseman. As Coogler explains (via The Direct), he had just finished the script for Black Panther 2 and had given Boseman a call to speak about it. It turned out to be their final conversation as Boseman died weeks later, though Coogler recalls feeling that “something was up” during that call.
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While Coogler knew something seemed off, he had no idea that Boseman was fighting a secret cancer battle. Boseman also declined to read the script, insisting that he didn’t want to interfere with the creative process.
Boseman’s was not recast, as the sequel follows the leaders of Wakanda moving on to protect their nation after the loss of T’Challa. The sequel brings back Letitia Wright, Lupia Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett. Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, and Tenoch Herta also star. Coogler directed the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. Kevin Feige and Nate Moore produced.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in movie theaters on Nov. 11, 2022. Watch the official trailer below.
