Black Panther 2 director Ryan Coogler recalls his last conversation with Chadwick Boseman, where they discussed the original script for the MCU sequel.
With the new movie finally making its way to theaters, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever co-writer/director Ryan Coogler recalls his last conversation with Chadwick Boseman. The Oscar nominee led the cast of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe film in the titular role of Wakanda’s king and protector, and was expected to return for the sequel prior to his death from colon cancer in 2020. After a period of mourning, Coogler and Marvel forged ahead. of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever without recasting T’Challa’s role, but instead seeing the story that explores the character’s grief, and thus the actor’s death.
In the recent episode of miracle‘s The Official Black Panther Podcast, Ryan Coogler opened up about his relationship with the late actor Chadwick Boseman. The co-writer/director recalls his last phone call with the star, in which he wanted to talk about the… Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, only for Boseman not to want to read the script, which Coogler later found was a sad reason. Check out what Coogler shared below:
I was just done with it. My last conversation with him was to call him and ask if he would read it before I got notes from the studio. That was the last time we spoke and he died maybe a few weeks after I finished. […] He was tired, mate. I could see he was tired. I’ve been trying to get hold of him for a few days. […] I could see something was up. But he joked and laughed, talked about how he was planning a wedding in South Carolina, talked about the people he would invite. […] And then he said he didn’t want to read it because he didn’t want to get in the way of the notes the studio might have, so he said, “It’s better if I read it later.” But I found out later that he was too tired to read anything.
Chadwick Boseman has not seen the original Black Panther 2 script
One of the more interesting and heartbreaking details from Coogler’s memory is that Boseman didn’t read the original Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, due to his exhaustion from fighting his illness. The late actor kept his cancer diagnosis memorable to most except his family and a handful of his friends, making his death a sudden announcement for many, despite having been dealing with it for nearly five years. While some now claim they sensed something was wrong with Boseman in the run-up to the news, the actor continued to make public appearances right up until his passing, mostly continuing to work on everything from both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame to Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s black buttocksfor which he received an Oscar nomination posthumously.
Coogler recently shared more details about what his original is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, with the movie T’Challa’s post-Avengers: Endgame struggles as he struggles with the loss of five years in the world after being flashed into it Infinite War. While it would still feature Boseman’s beloved character, the co-writer/director noted that the tone would have been much the same as the final sequel, with the character grieving for his situation and coming to terms with leaving his position. country without a protector for five years. Interestingly, however, regardless of the shift in focus, Namor would always be the antagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Although Boseman may not have read the original Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, the cast and crew behind the MCU sequel have remained faithful in their efforts to honor the late actor with the film. Many have spoken about how the Emmy winner’s presence was felt on the film’s set, and Coogler even recently revealed that they honored Boseman by leaving the No. 1 spot on the casting callsheet open for the late star. Audiences can join the film’s cast and crew to mourn the loss of Boseman Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in theaters on November 11.
Source: miracle
