Although plenty of fans are looking forward to what the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe holds with Avengers: Doomsday, some are looking back at the past offerings from the comic book franchise. Among those looking back is none other than Ryan Coogler, who recently reflected on the early days of production on the Black Panther sequel. 

Ryan Coogler hit it big among fans and critics when he directed 2018’s Black Panther, the first standalone film for the Marvel icon. It became a standout for many among the vast Marvel filmography, garnering praise especially for the late Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of T’Challa, the newly crowned king of Wakanda. Unfortunately, after his appearance in Avengers: Endgame, Boseman passed away at just 43-years-old due to colon cancer. 

Although Boseman was sick for some time, Coogler, who co-wrote and directed both Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, was already chipping away at a story outline for the sequel. Screenrant noted that he even had a draft ready for Boseman to read, but unfortunately it wouldn’t come to pass. 

While talking to Joshua Horowitz of Happy Sad Confused, Coogler detailed that he had a script and wanted Boseman to read it and see what was in store. Coogler explained that Boseman was “at a place where it wasn’t going to happen,” and ultimately never read the script that was prepared. Coogler would go on to explain how much Boseman meant to him, and even opened up about how it felt to lose him. 

Although the script would have to undergo some heavy modifications, some threads in the final film were present in Coogler’s original treatment. As Variety noted, the idea of T’Challa having a young son, unknown to the audience up to that point, would’ve played a key role in the story. The two would’ve partaken in an old tradition called the “Ritual of 8,” that dictated a king and his son, when he reaches 8 years old, must stick together for eight days. That includes them having to stay together when the film’s villain Namor, eventually played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía, launches an assault on Wakanda. 

Coogler explained that he went all out for the sequel now that he’d known what Boseman could do, explaining to Happy Sad Confused that he “threw a lot at him in the first Panther but I realized I was just scratching the surface.” 

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