Black Panther 2 director Ryan Coogler recalls his final call with Chadwick Boseman, in which they discussed the original script for the MCU sequel.
With the new film finally making its way to theaters, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever co-writer/director Ryan Coogler recalls his final conversation with Chadwick Boseman. The Oscar nominee led the cast of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movie 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 mourning period, Coogler and Marvel forged ahead with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever without recasting the role of T’Challa, instead seeing the story exploring the grief over the character, and thus actor’s, death.
In the recent episode of Marvel‘s The Official Black Panther Podcast, Ryan Coogler opened up about his relationship with late actor Chadwick Boseman. The co-writer/director recalls his final phone call with the star, in which he wanted to discuss the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, only for Boseman to not want to read the script, which Coogler learned was a sad reason for later. See what Coogler shared below:
“I had just finished it. My last conversation with him was calling him and asking if he wanted to read it before I got notes from the studio. That was the last time we spoke, and he passed maybe a couple of weeks after I finished. […] He was tired, bro. I could tell he was tired. I’d been trying to get a hold of him for a few days. […] I could tell something was up. But he was joking and laughing, talking about how he was planning a wedding in South Carolina, talking about the people he was going to invite. […] And then he said he didn’t want to read it, because he didn’t want to get in the way of whatever notes the studio might have, so he was like ‘It’s better if I read it later.’ But I found out later that he was too tired to read anything.”
Chadwick Boseman Didn’t See Original Black Panther 2 Script
One of the more interesting, and heartbreaking, details from Coogler’s recollection is that Boseman didn’t read the original Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, due to his exhaustion from fighting his illness. The late actor memorably kept his cancer diagnosis under wraps from most, save for his family and a handful of his friends, thus making his death a sudden announcement to many, despite his having been dealing with it for nearly five years. While some now contend they sensed something was wrong with Boseman in the lead up to the news, the actor kept up appearances for the public all the way up to his passing, especially by continuing to work in everything from both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame to Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, for which he earned a posthumous Oscar nomination.
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Coogler recently shared further details about what his original Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script entailed, with the film exploring T’Challa’s post-Avengers: Endgame struggles as he grapples with the loss of five years in the world after being blipped in Infinity War. Though it would’ve still included Boseman’s beloved character the co-writer/director did note that the tone would’ve been largely the same as the eventual sequel, with the character grieving his situation and coming to terms with having left his country without a protector for five years. Interestingly, however, regardless of the shift in focus, Namor was always set to be the antagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Though Boseman may not have read the original Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script, the cast and crew behind the MCU sequel have remained true 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 set of the movie, with Coogler even recently revealing they honored Boseman by leaving the No. 1 spot on the casting call sheet open for the late star. Audiences can mourn Boseman’s loss along with the film’s cast and crew when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.