Exclusive: Black Panther 2 honored Chadwick Boseman’s legacy on set, according to director Ryan Coogler, who says the late actor’s presence was felt.
Ryan Coogler reveals how Chadwick Boseman’s legacy was honored on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. After Boseman’s unexpected death in 2020, the upcoming sequel comes Black Panther will address the loss and grief of the cast and crew, as well as the Marvel fandom in general. Executive producer Nate Moore shared that there was pressure to build on the previous film and the late actor’s contributions following Boseman’s impact on the film industry and the MCU. After much discussion about T’Challa’s possible recast, Marvel Studios chose to further observe Wakanda as well as the large cast of characters introduced in the 2018 film, which includes Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and others return to reprise their roles.
Premiere on November 11 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to follow the leaders of Wakanda who, in the wake of King T’Challa’s death, must fight to protect their nation from intervening powers and the rise of a new threat in Namor (Tenoch Huerta). For fans of the superhero genre and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Boseman’s impact was undeniable, and Kevin Feige recently commented on how “happy and thankfulhe feels that he has known him and adds that his work will last forever. In dealing with relevant themes, the actors involved in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever probably tapped into their own emotions and when navigating those feelings on a set where everyone was grieving it would have been important to keep Boseman’s spirit alive.
Now, in an exclusive interview with screen frenzyCoogler shares how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever honored Boseman’s legacy on set. The director recounted an early meeting that suggested leaving number one on the call sheet blank for the late actor. He then discussed the effects Boseman’s death had on him and others involved, stating that “his presence was right there on that call sheet.Read Coogler’s full quote below about honoring Boseman’s legacy:
“Simple. One of the first encounters I had in pre-production my AD Don Sparks who wasn’t with us on the first Black Panther – you had the amazing Lisa Satriano on that one. But I was working with Donald on Creed when we were in Philadelphia, and Don’s a Black Man. We jump on this meeting, and it’s me and a producer and a few other people, and the first thing he said was, “Hey, I’m working on this call list. I’m numbering the cast and I thought we should leave number one for Chad. Leave that blank.” I had to turn off my Zoom camera because I was a little choked with the concept of that. But it affected the world, man. When you experience trauma, it often happens like a bomb. And sometimes there are people in that blast radius. Many of us were there in its radius; we knew him. We worked with him for years and forged a bond with him that can only be forged by working on something that everyone cares passionately about. But he also struck people who were not in the radius of it. the explosion. If you’re talking about making a Black Panther movie, his presence was right there on that call sheet. Even down to the smallest detail, we all carry him with us and we always will.“
Why Chadwick Boseman was such an inspiring actor?
Last year, Coogler explained that Boseman would not have wanted… Black Panther to pause and tell what made him so inspiring. He noted that, despite going through his struggles in private, the actor always thought of others and helped his co-stars on the set with their performances. During his career, Boseman also portrayed a number of important real-life figures, including Jackie Robinson and James Brown, and used his platform to address issues of injustice. In addition, Boseman’s turn as a superhero meant a lot to underrepresented communities and gave hope to a younger audience.
The news of Boseman’s passing shocked many in 2020 and given how important he was to Black Panther and the MCU in general, it’s nice to hear about the efforts that have been made to honor his legacy. The cast and crew all really appreciate what Boseman brought to the MCU, and making a new movie without him was supposed to be tough. Fans of his will be pleased to know that he has remained an essential part of the filmmaking process, and can look forward to seeing Marvel pay tribute when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be in cinemas soon.
