Black Panther's Ryan Coogler Almost Made A Huge Life-Changing Decision Following Chadwick Boseman's Death
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" will live in the aftermath of T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) death. It's not for sure how they will explain the character's death in the film, but some rumors suggest it will parallel Boseman's real-life battle with cancer. It's been a little over two years since the actor died, and it was evident at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con that the cast was still reeling from the loss of their friend and colleague.
"Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler was noticeably emotional at SDCC when reminiscing about the year he attended the event in 2017 with Boseman by his side. "His passion, his genius, his pride in his culture, and the impact that he made on this industry will be felt forever," Coogler said of the late actor. The two clearly had a strong bond which sticks with the director today, but he recently admitted that Boseman's death almost made him make a drastic shift in his career, which would have affected the MCU tremendously.
Ryan Coogler almost left the entertainment business
Ryan Coogler spoke with Entertainment Weekly as a part of their Fall Movie Preview and revealed he almost stepped away from the entertainment world after Chadwick Boseman's death. "I was at a point when I was like, 'I'm walking away from this business,'" Coogler said. "I didn't know if I could make another movie period, [let alone] another 'Black Panther' movie, because it hurt a lot. I was like, 'Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?'"
Coogler remembered watching old footage of Boseman, including interviews with the actor, where he expressed the importance of T'Challa and Wakanda. This helped the director make the decision to keep on in the industry and to helm the second "Black Panther" film. "I was poring over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realized was the end of his life," Coogler added. "I decided that it made more sense to keep going."
Filming for the sequel began a little under a year after the death of Boseman, thankfully with Coogler back in the director's chair.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" lands in theaters on November 11.