Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler discussed the themes of the film, and how it hit close following Chadwick Boseman’s passing.

Closing out Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 will be the highly-anticipated sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film, which is the follow-up to the 2018 cultural landmark directed by Ryan Coogler will be especially sentimental for audiences, given that the original lead actor Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever looks to explore the emotional developments of the characters following the untimely passing of King T’Challa. As it turns out, the updated script following Chadwick Boseman’s death stayed true to the themes of the original script which had him involved. Ryan Coogler spoke with Empire Magazine to discuss the core themes of the film, which asks the question, “How do you carry on in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds?”

‘The Marvels’ Director Was Annoyed By The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ A-Force Scene

The show must go on.

Ryan Coogler reflected on how losing Chadwick Boseman led him to refocus the story, and how it puts the likes of Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Winston Duke, and Lupita Nyong’o at the center of it all:

“Maturity is about being faced with impossible questions, and still making a choice and moving forward… This unique group is more like a band than it is a group of actors, and Chad was our lead singer. So for me, it was like, ‘How do I figure out a song that they can still get up there and sing?,’ in light of what we were dealing with.”

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Actor Addresses Infamous Floating Head Scene

Here is the synopsis for the sequel:

“In Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.”

Directed by Ryan Coogler from a script he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole, the film stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters on November 11, 2022. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of Ryan Coogler’s Marvel Studios projects, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: Empire Magazine