In anticipation of the forthcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the 2018 smash hit Black Panther that is currently under production, we’re getting more insights about how the film’s creators will pay homage to the late Chadwick Boseman, the actor who helmed the first film as T’Challa but tragically passed away in 2020 following a private battle with colon cancer.
Though the production for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is temporarily on hiatus following the injury of actor Letitia Wright, who will helm the film as T’Challa’s genius sister Shuri, producer Nate Moore recently said in an interview with ComicBook that “There’s plenty for us to be doing.” Moore added that returning director Ryan Coogler has been “a great partner.”
Moore went on to address how the loss of Boseman affected the crew and what they did to honor his memory.
“I think this movie has different sort of pressure on it, obviously, with the loss of Chadwick, which was unexpected and unprecedented in a way narratively, to figure out how to deal with…So beyond, ‘Hey, we want to make a big, fun time,’ and people of the first movie, it’s how do we sort of do right by his legacy and tell a story that isn’t exploitative, which we would never, ever do, but builds on the things that he loved about the property and builds on the things that he brought to the property in a way that is enjoyable, feels real, feels earned, feels organic. Because I think we’re going to see the movie in two lenses, pure entertainment, but also cathartic. And we have to be conscious of both of those lenses as we’re making it.”
Moore has been a producer for a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe films and shows, such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and most recently, Eternals.
In terms of upcoming franchise installments he is excited about, Moore cited Wakanda Forever first and foremost. He added that many upcoming projects will be attempts to “do different kinds of things,” something Eternals more or less opened up the ability for producers to do, from Thor: Love and Thunder to Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to hit theaters on Nov. 11, 2022.