The world has felt Chadwick Boseman’s loss, with the actor becoming a cultural figure for his turn in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, and now one of the artists closest to him, director Ryan Coogler, has opened up about how tough it is working on the upcoming sequel Black Panther II without him by his side.
“You know, I’m currently going through it,” said Coogler on the Jemele Hill Is Unbothered podcast. “One thing that I’ve learned in my short or long time on this Earth, however, you want to look at it, it’s difficult to have perspective on something while you’re going through it. This is one of the more profound things that I’ve ever gone through in my life, having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person. Who was like the glue that held it together.”
While the filmmaker didn’t offer up any specifics on how he’ll tackle Boseman’s absence in the upcoming Marvel Studios sequel, he did call this process of moving forward without the franchise’s lead “a difficult one.”
“You have a personal life, you have a professional life, you got a private life. When you work in something that you love, those things blend; they come together, right?” the filmmaker continued. “Your life kind of becomes your work for the better part of it. So, I’m trying to find a work-life balance, so I’m working on building two things that can stand on their own. I’m not there yet. But, this is without question, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my professional life.”
SEE ALSO: Lupita Nyong’o “dedicated to re-imagining” Chadwick Boseman’s legacy in Black Panther 2
Black Panther II is targeting a summer 2021 start date ahead of a planned release on July 8th 2022.
