Director Ryan Coogler has revealed details of his original script for Black Panther 2, which centered on T'Challa and his young son facing a Namor attack, but was unfinished due to Chadwick Boseman's illness before his 2020 death. In a recent podcast interview, Coogler described the heartfelt story and his close bond with the late actor. He also confirmed plans for a third Black Panther film.
Ryan Coogler, director of the 2018 hit Black Panther, opened up about the sequel's initial concept during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz. The discussion came amid Coogler's awards tour for his latest film, Sinners. Boseman, who portrayed T'Challa, passed away in August 2020 at age 43 from colon cancer, forcing a major rewrite that resulted in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Coogler explained that he completed a 180-page draft before Boseman's death. 'I finished it, and I hit him up to read it, and he was too sick to read, bro. That was kind of how the timing was,' he said. The script revolved around the 'Ritual of 8,' a tradition where an 8-year-old Wakandan prince spends eight days in the bush with his father, asking any questions that must be answered honestly. During this period, Namor—later played by Tenoch Huerta—launches an attack. T'Challa must confront the 'insanely dangerous' threat while keeping his son close, adhering to the unbreakable ritual. 'It was insane, and Chadwick was going to kill it, but life goes as it goes,' Coogler noted.
He expressed deep affection for the script: 'I loved that script. I put so much into that version of the movie because I felt like I had gotten to know Chadwick as a performer… I threw a lot at Chad in the first Panther, but I realized I was just scratching the surface.' Wakanda Forever shifted focus to female characters, a change Coogler cherished.
Reflecting on their friendship, Coogler shared: 'Our relationship was very interesting ’cause he meant a lot to me but I found out after his passing from his family and his friends about how much I meant to him, which fucked me up pretty good… He protected me from a lot.' Boseman once assured him, 'I would never let that happen to you,' during tough production days.
Coogler also revealed he wanted to include Kraven the Hunter in the first Black Panther, inspired by comics like Christopher Priest's run, but Sony's ownership prevented it. Now, he is developing Black Panther 3 at Marvel Studios, alongside a revival of The X-Files for television. 'I’m in it for my heart… it’s my job as a filmmaker to show why,' he said, addressing potential skepticism.
