Black Panther director Ryan Coogler considered quitting films after Chadwick Boseman’s death

Following the passing of his lead actor Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther writer and director Ryan Coogler claims he almost gave up on making films. Boseman passed away in August 2020 after a covert struggle with colon cancer. He was the star of the 2018 Marvel Studios film Black Panther. He was 43.

“I was at a point when I was like, ‘I'm walking away from this business’. 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 told the Entertainment Weekly website.

But it was his connection with the late star and the significance of Black Panther as a character that propelled the director to give him another shot at filmmaking.

Coogler has frequently discussed how Boseman, a philanthropist himself, served as a mentor to the cast and crew of the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

“I was poring over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realised was the end of his life. I decided that it made more sense to keep going,” he added.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was made in honour of Boseman's legacy with the director saying they never thought about recasting T'Challa, the real name of Boseman's Black Panther.

“It's my job as a filmmaker to do things that I have personal integrity with. If I don't believe in what I'm doing, I'm going to have a hard time getting other people to do their best work.”

For the second episode of the series, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett are all expected to return in their respective parts.

“At the end of the day, the choices we make have to feel truthful to me. When filmmakers make things that don't feel truthful to them, you can feel it. And I will argue that those projects don't have a shot at working,” Coogler added.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, set for release on November 11, also features newcomers Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, and Tenoch Huerta.