Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has shared details of an original sequel to the film that he had written prior to Chadwick Boseman‘s death.
The acclaimed star died in August 2020 at the age of 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer that he had not disclosed to the public.
His most notable role was as T’Challa in a string of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame.
The first sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, came out in 2022, with Boseman’s death in 2020 written into the story.
Now, director Coogler has shared his original plans for the film’s storyline, before Boseman passed away.
In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he shared that his initial script focused on an adventure between Boseman’s T’Challa and the character’s eight-year-old son. Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta in Wakanda Forever, was still the main villain.
“The big thing with the script was a thing called the Ritual of eight, where a prince is eight years old, he must spend eight days in the bush with his father,” Coogler said. “The rule is for those eight days, the prince can ask the father any question, and the father must answer.
“In the course of those eight days, Namor launches an attack,” he continued. “He had to deal with someone who’s insanely dangerous, but because of this ritual, his son had to be joined at his hip the whole time, or else they’d violate this ritual that had never been broken. It was insane. Chadwick was going to kill it, but life goes as it goes.”
Coogler confirmed that he finished this version of the script and reached out to Boseman to read it, but “he was too sick” to do so. “He was at a place where it wasn’t going to happen,” the director added.
“Our relationship was very interesting. He meant a lot to me, but I found out after his passing from his family and his friends about how much I meant to him. That fucked me up pretty good. I wonder if he knew how much he meant to me.
“I did wonder… But I loved that script,” he added. “I put so much into that version of the movie because I felt like I had gotten to know Chadwick as a performer. I threw a lot at him in the first Panther, but I realised I was just scratching the surface. It was a 180-page draft.”
In a four-star review, NME called the sequel a “magical memorial” to the actor, and said: “What really makes the film stand out is its mature atmosphere. This is about grief, more so than any other Marvel movie, and the legacy one leaves behind.
“‘To me – he was everything. My T’Challa,’ says Nakia, in a heartfelt moment that doubtless reflects the way many felt about Chadwick Boseman. The film finishes with a dedication to him – although maybe there was no need. Wakanda Forever is, itself, a fitting tribute to him.”
Last month, Coogler spoke at the ceremony when Boseman was awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
Boseman was also acclaimed for his dramatic work in films such as Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, the James Brown biopic Get On Up and his final film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, for which he was posthumously nominated for an Oscar.
Earlier this year, his co-star Viola Davis spoke about working with Boseman, admitting that she misinterpreted the treatment he received on set. “There was a part of me that was a little judgmental — why do you need all that,” she recalled. “Little did I know that they were doing it because he was dying”.
Last October, Boseman’s Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong’o became emotional talking about the loss of her friend during an appearance at the London Film Festival. “The grief is just the love with no place to put it” she said. “I don’t run away from the tears or the grief. You just live with it. That experience will never be separate”.
In other news, Denzel Washington is set to star in Black Panther 3, which is planned for a February 2028 release.
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