Chadwick Boseman's star was on the rise in Hollywood even before his standout performances in movies like Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther. However, the latter set the stage for him to become one of the world's biggest stars, and major award success was almost certainly in his future.
Tragically, Boseman's life was cut short after he lost a hard-fought battle with cancer in 2020. The actor's passing sent shockwaves across the world and left Marvel Studios without a T'Challa for its planned Black Panther sequel.
The decision was made not to recast the role; instead, the character died off-screen, and Shuri inherited the Black Panther mantle in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She will continue playing the hero in Avengers: Doomsday, but is expected to eventually pass the mantle to T'Challa's son, Toussaint/T'Challa II.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who is doing the rounds to discuss Sinners after it recently broke the record for receiving the most Oscar nominations, revealed what he learned from working with the late actor.
"Engaging with him on an artistic level, conversations that will forever just be between me and him — I was about 30 years old, stressed, completely out of my mind, sleep-deprived, convinced that the movie wasn’t going to work," Coogler said of his Black Panther experience. "I robbed myself of truly enjoying that privilege."
"Even of sitting there and enjoying the countless Chadwick Boseman takes, because he didn’t have a bad take. So when he passed, I’m like, 'Oh my God, how much stuff have I not allowed myself to enjoy because I was in my own head — feeling like I was unworthy?'"
"I’m going to take the lessons from Chad for the rest of my life, bro," the director continued. "That includes all of this. I have to see the good in things, see the value in things, and not let impostor syndrome or guilt or negativity rob me of moments with my cast, who I love — or with folks who want to say, 'Hey, good job.'"
Tasked with helming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coogler understandably found it a challenging experience. "We had to work from the place of being brokenhearted, or else it wouldn’t have got done. Me and Chad were getting closer, so it was like a wound to the heart. It was like somebody had taken the sun away and we were all these planets floating."
"I learned that I was more resilient than I give myself credit for — I’ll say that was the biggest thing," he added, saying he looks back at it now with gratitude. "And that movie gets watched at home so much more than the other Panther did. I think about that: People may be watching when they want to feel something specific."
Black Panther received a "Best Picture" nomination at the Oscars and ultimately walked away with three Academy Awards for "Best Costume Design," "Best Original Score," and "Best Production Design."
Could Sinners land Coogler himself a long-overdue Oscar? Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige certainly believes so. "The music was incredibly meaningful to me, and I told Ryan that my jaw was on the floor. It should win best picture for that alone," he told the trade. "The Academy doesn’t always, in my opinion, recognize the movies that are most relevant for audiences today. But, boy, did they hit it with this one."
This is well-known by this point, but it was also confirmed in the interview that Black Panther 3 is Coogler's next movie. That puts the threequel on track for its rumoured early 2028 release in the post-Avengers: Secret Wars MCU.
Stay tuned for updates on the Black Panther franchise as we have them.