Back in the heat of the summer of 2020, Ryan Coogler was working on the script forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. When Chadwick Boseman, the star of theBlack Pantherfranchise, tragically lost his private battle with colon cancer the script had to take a turn to make up for Boseman’s absence, but Coogler has revealed that the film was set to have a different vibe that mirrored another Marvel Studios film.
Grappling with theloss of Boseman was hard for Coogler to bear, and he even expressed thoughts of leaving the entertainment industry after the star passed. It was hard for Coogler to come to terms with the show going on in the absence of Boseman and to discover what would come next in the sequel tale of theBlack Pantherfranchise.
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With the release ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverright around the corner, Coogler is giving more incite about what’s to come and what could’ve been. In an interview withInverse, Coogler reveals news that may come as a shock to some:Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas set to tell a story about grief even before the loss of its star. Coogler went on to explain thatBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas set to follow T’Challaas he battles grief with the time he lost due to the blip, which occurred at the end ofAvengers: Infinity War. Coogler told Inverse, “The character was going to be grieving the loss of time, you know, coming back after being gone for five years. As a man with so much responsibility to so many, coming back after a forced five years absence, that’s what the film was tackling. He was grieving a time he couldn’t get back. Grief was a big part of it.”
Although the film underwent changes, Coogler also revealed that some things were always meant to make their way onto the screen. Coogler made it clear that Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta) “was always the antagonist.” Namor is a longtime enemy of T’Challa in Marvel Comics, so he was destined to make his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe sooner than later. In fact, Coogler had ideas on how to introduce Namor as far back as the firstBlack Pantherfilm.
Nonetheless, asBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevergears up for its major theatrical release within the next week, it’ll be a time to honor Boseman and all the love he put into the character ofT’Challa and the Black Panther. This will also be a time of celebration for Coogler and the film’s cast, as they step into a new chapter of storytelling, in the power of everything that’s been lost.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill be released in theaters on June 28, 2025.
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