The sequel of Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in theaters on November 11, 2022. With $680.9 million at the box office, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to grow in popularity. After Chadwick Bosemanʼs death in 2020, many fans began to wonder how Marvel plans to continue the story of Black Panther. With the help of many, the studio was able to create a new sequel.
PRODUCTION
After Black Panther's release, Marvel Studios, and Ryan Coogler, director & co-writer, and Joe Robert Cole, screenwriter of Black Panther, agreed to its sequel Black Panther II. The main cast including Boseman began their new project late in 2018. It wasnʼt until Boseman's death that there was a pause in the development of the project.
Without Boseman, who plays the main character TʼChalla, the director and the studio needed to come up with new ideas to continue the sequel. Ryan Coogler wanted to focus on grief and loss as the main element of the film. Coogler had to reconstruct the story to fit with current events and continue the saga of Marvel. Coogler claims it was difficult rewriting the film without their main character as the sequel was originally written to focus on TʼChallaʼs recovery after the blip, five years after Avengers Infinity War. After many discussions and editing, the production of the new marvel movie began filming.
Kevin Feige, the producer, confirmed that there would not be a recast of TʼChalla. “Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally,” Feige claims. “His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past. And it's for that reason that we will not recast the character.” Instead, the film would focus on honoring Chadwick Boseman and give closure to those who loved him.
BEHIND THE SCENES
After the release, the cast and production team released some behind-the-scenes footage of the new film. For example, in the memorial ceremony for King TʼChalla, the Wakandians wore white. In Ghana tradition, it is common to wear white to funerals in order to honor the lost. Ruth E. Gardener, the costume designer, designed the white clothing with its own design in order to represent each of the Wakandan tribes. Due to such tradition, many Marvel fans dress in white when going to see the film in theaters in honor of Chadwick Boseman.
Since most of the movie consists of underwater scenes, the cast trained to perfect their scenes. For example, Actress Lupita Nyong'o did many underwater workouts. Even Coogler himself took the initiative to learn how to swim in order to understand how to better direct the scenes that were underwater. Carter also made sure the costumes were suited underwater by running many underwater tests. Carter made sure to add weights to the costumes in order to have the perfect look. Carter did her best by making the costumes waterproof by designing them with silicone material.
WHAT’S NEXT?
It was confirmed in the end credit scene that the story of Black Panther would continue. Instead, it would focus on the new holder of the black panther, Shuri. While only the cast member Dominique Throne who plays Riri Williams is confirmed to return with a new Disney plus series called Ironheart, the main cast may return in upcoming projects such as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
While it is hard for some to accept that the Black Panther would be moving on without Boseman, many believed that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the right film to commemorate and honor his legacy.
Tom Jorgensen at IGN, who gave the film a 7 out 10 rating states it was "an effective, emotional farewell to T'Challa—a meditation on forging one's own future out of a painful past—but with a plot that has to introduce an entirely new nation and pave the way for a new wave of Marvel stories, it does struggle under the weight of all that expectation."
Kristofer should be a model! 😍
Loved this movie! I'm glad that Ryan Coogler and his writing staff went with the different background story of NAMOR and ATLANTIS. Using the AZTEC/MAYAN civilizations as their backstory was amazing! Being of Mexican heritage and have Aztec roots made proud. Hearing the actors speak in the NAHUATLl language, the most important of the Uto-Aztecan languages, was the language of the Aztec and Toltec civilizations of Mexico.