Nearly two years after Chadwick Boseman tragically died after a secret cancer battle, his former Black Panther crew is honoring his legacy in the forthcoming sequel.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Everything to Know So Far
“He was really strong and he was getting excited and as the [teaser] clip went on he was squeezing my shoulder the whole time and when it finished, I couldn’t even lift my arm,” director Ryan Coogler said during Marvel Studios’ Saturday, July 23, panel at San Diego Comic-Con, per Variety. “I felt his hand for the rest of that day. Standing here with you all, listening to that music and thinking about it all, I promise you I can feel his hand on me right now.”
The 36-year-old director, who helmed both Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, added during the Hall H conversation: “Chad is no longer with us physically but his spirit, his passion, his genius, his pride in his culture and the impact that he made on this industry will be felt forever. We put our love for Chadwick into this film and we also put our passion. It’s a roller-coaster of a movie.”
Chadwick Boseman Dead at 43: Stars Pay Tribute
During the MCU panel, executive producer Kevin Feige and several marvelous stars surprised Comic-Con attendees as they teased the Phase 4, 5 and 6 TV and film slates and offered first looks at the upcoming projects. In a new teaser of Wakanda Forever, the country emotionally mourned Boseman’s character of T’Challa.
“I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone,” Angela Bassett, who plays Black Panther’s mother, Ramonda, said in the footage. “Have I not given everything?”
Us Weekly previously confirmed in August 2020 that the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star died at the age of 43 following a battle with colon cancer.
“It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” a statement released via his Instagram read at the time. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther. He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side.”
A Complete Timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Upcoming Release Dates
Amid filming of Wakanda Forever, Coogler and the cast have made it clear that they intended to honor Boseman — who is survived by wife Simone Ledward — with the final cut.
“It’s going to be interesting to surpass the cultural phenomenon that it was. It’s going to be really interesting to see how we do that again,” Bassett, 63, exclusively told Us in May 2021. “It’s going to be phenomenal and it’s going to pay tribute and it’s going to carry on that legacy.”
The 9-1-1 actress added at the time: “[Chadwick] could do anything he put his mind to. He could rap, he could dance like James Brown. He could hold the center of a movie [as] the cinema’s first black superhero. He could do it all and he can inspire us to live our best. His work definitely stands on its own, and his work was the most important thing to him.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.
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