Despite the loss of leading man Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away last year after losing his battle with cancer, Marvel Studios announced that it would be pushing ahead with its plans to release Black Panther II in 2022.
Rather than recasting the role of T’Challa, something which Marvel has ruled out completely, director Ryan Coogler has instead rewritten the script for the sequel to 2018’s pop culture phenomenon, which will further explore the world of Wakanda whilst presumably serving as a fitting tribute to its King.
Speaking to THR, Coogler has revealed why he decided to stay on board despite Boseman’s death, stating that he believes the actor would have wanted the cast and crew to continue.
“It’s difficult,” said Coogler. “You’ve got to keep going when you lose loved ones. I know Chad wouldn’t have wanted us to stop. He was somebody who was so about the collective. Black Panther, that was his movie. He was hired to play that role before anybody else was even thought of, before I was hired, before any of the actresses were hired.”
“On that set, he was all about everybody else,” he continued. “Even though he was going through what he was going through, he was checking in on them, making sure they were good,” he continued. “If we cut his coverage, he would stick around and read lines off-camera [to help other actors with their performances]. So it would be harder for me to stop. Truthfully. I’d feel him yelling at me, like, ‘What are you doing?’ So you keep going.”
Black Panther II is set for release on July 8th 2022, and is expected to begin filming this summer.
