Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in cinemas next week. In the lead-up to the movie’s release, director Ryan Coogler has been answering many questions about the movie, his relationship with the cast, and of course, his previous work with Chadwick Boseman on the original Black Panther. In what has been an emotional time for all of those involved in the evolution of this film, that level of completely overwhelming emotion came to the fore when Coogler spoke of how Boseman was “too tired” to even read the script due to his hidden illness. While sharing his memories of his last interactions with Boseman on the new Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast, Coogler said:

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Coogler went on to reveal that he had been trying to get hold of Boseman via phone for several days before he was able to speak to him, and at the time, although he suspected something was wrong, he did not know of the actor’s cancer battle. He continued:

“I just finished [the script]. My last conversation with him was calling him asking him if he wanted to read it before I got notes from the studio. That was the last time we spoke. He passed maybe a couple of weeks after I finished. He was tired, bro. I could tell he was tired.”

“[Boseman] called me, and I could tell he was laying down when we were talking. Simone [Boseman’s then-fiancée] was with him, and he kicked Simone out because he told her he didn’t want her to hear nothing that could get him in trouble with an NDA [laughs]. And she didn’t want to leave him. So I could tell something was up. Then he said he didn’t want to read [the script] because he didn’t want to get in the way of whatever notes the studio might have. So he said he’d read it later, but I found out later he was too tired to read anything.”

How Did Chadwick Boseman’s Death Impact Black Panther 2?

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Obviously, the loss of any actor can change a movie, but to lose the lead star, and one who seemingly had many years ahead of him, was a tragic loss for both Marvel Studios and Hollywood in general. It also profoundly impacted Ryan Coogler, and brought about a significant change to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever storyline. Coogler explained:

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will continue the legend of the Black Panther on November 11.

“The tonal shift, I will say, was less of a shift than in [casting]. The tone was going to be similar. [T’Challa] was going to be grieving the loss of time, you know, coming back after being gone for five years. As a man with so much responsibility to so many, coming back after a forced five years absence, that’s what the film was tackling. He was grieving time he couldn’t get back. Grief was a big part of it. [Namor] was always the antagonist. There were other characters, for sure, that we considered including. Namor was always there.”