The filmmakers’ real-life grief is reflected in the film as Wakanda struggles to survive after the death of Chadwick Boseman’s character. Black Panther returns to theaters this week, having lost its star with the tragic early death of Chadwick Boseman, but not its determination to push for greater diversity in superhero movies. Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer two years ago at the age of 43, appears in several flashback scenes in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The filmmakers’ personal grief is reflected in the film, as Wakanda struggles to survive after the death of Boseman’s character, King T’Challa. Director Ryan Coogler had been working on the sequel for nearly a year when Chadwick Boseman died, prompting him to shift focus to T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright.
There is a blast radius when you lose someone. “It’s like a bomb goes off,” said Coogler at a press conference.
The worst nightmare you can have is that if something happens to you, the people you love and leave behind will be unmoored, lost. We were looking into everything “He stated. Wright praised Coogler’s handling of her character’s journey as she deals with her grief and ascends to the throne.
We were able to bring something that felt genuine and true. And I was able to put my heart and soul into it, giving Shuri a full arc “She stated.
‘It’s time for a change.’
Lift Me Up, a tribute to Boseman and her first single as a lead artist since 2016, is also featured in the new film. Boseman was the first black lead in a Marvel film, and he proved that was no barrier to success, with Black Panther grossing $1.34 billion at the box office.
The rest of the industry has taken notice, and the new instalment follows on the heels of rival superhero behemoth DC Comics’ Black Adam, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and is currently dominating the box office worldwide.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever builds on the first film’s mission to raise awareness about issues of diversity and colonialism. Its plot revolves partly around Wakanda’s efforts to fend off the United States and France as they try to obtain its valuable natural resource, vibranium, at any cost. It also introduces an old Marvel character, Namor the Sub-Mariner, who speaks Mayan in the film, which Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta appreciates.
“We deny our indigenous roots in Latin America, particularly in Mexico,” Huerta said.
“It’s time to change and reconcile our relationship with our forefathers… and embrace them. And now it’s happening in this film… which is thrilling.”
