The entire entertainment world stopped when Chadwick Boseman tragically died in 2020 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. After Boseman’s death, everyone wondered, how could there be a Black Panther 2? Ryan Coogler, the writer-director of Black Panther, asked the same question. In an interview with EW, Coogler shared how he contemplated retirement because of the grief over losing Boseman.
“I was at a point when I was like, ‘I’m walking away from this business.’ I didn’t know if I could make another movie period, [let alone] another Black Panther movie, because it hurt a lot,” said Coogler. “I was like, ‘Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?'”
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Although Kevin Feige stated Marvel would not recast Boseman’s role, Coogler and the rest of the cast were still faced with a difficult decision. Should they make a sequel despite losing King T’Challa? Coogler then started to reminisce about the time he spent with Boseman. The director also listened to interviews where Boseman spoke about Black Panther and the importance of Wakanda. After recalling these memories, Coogler knew what he had to do.
“I was poring over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realized was the end of his life. I decided that it made more sense to keep going,” said Coogler.
Coogler kept going, and the result is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which hits theaters on November 11.
Who will become the new Black Panther and honor T’Challa’s legacy? Leave your predictions in the comments below!
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