The tragic death of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman took the world of cinema as well as his closest collaborators in the industry by shock. Boseman’s co-workers were unaware of the actor’s diagnosis of colon cancer until his passing. Black Panther writer-director Ryan Coogler had initially written a different story, one that revolved around Boseman’s T’Challa and his evolution as the leader of Wakanda.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Coogler said:
The script we wrote before Chadwick [Boseman] passed was very much rooted in T’Challa’s perspective. It was a massive movie but also simultaneously a character study that delved deeply into his psyche and situation.
The previous movie ended with King T’Challa opening up his kingdom’s resources to the world. One can infer from Coogler’s comments that he had to lead Wakanda to new horizons as well as undergo further character development.
With Boseman passed on, the onus of handling the transition and allowing the storyline to carry on T’Challa’s legacy fell to Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole. Marvel decided against recasting the role, which sparked some debate among fans but was staunchly backed by the cast and crew.
Coogler and Cole chose to lay T’Challa to rest and pass on the mantle of Black Panther to another character, thus allowing the mourning of the Wakandan king to be a tribute to Boseman as well. Nate Moore, VP of Production and Development at Marvel Studios, agreed with the idea.
Watch a new teaser for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia, considered Boseman to be the centerpiece of the movies, a leader for the rest of them to follow. With him gone, she had a hard time imagining the sequel to even be a possibility. But she was moved to tears after reading the rewritten script.
Ryan wrote something that so honored the truth of what every one of us was feeling, those of us who knew Chadwick. He created something that could honor that and carry the story forward. By the end, I was weeping.
When asked to shed light on if she was the next Black Panther, Nyong’o said she’d rather “swim into the ocean and never be seen again.” However, based on the trailers and leaked Lego imagery, eagle-eyed fans have speculated that T’Challa’s sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, will take up the mantle of the superhero in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Watch the latest trailer below:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will release in theaters on November 11, 2022. The plot will pick up with Wakanda after the events of Avengers: Endgame and introduce the underwater kingdom of Talocan and their ruler Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta.
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