Wakanda Forever: Black Panther Fights On Without Chadwick Boseman

The real-life grief of the filmmakers is reflected in the film as Wakanda struggles to survive following the death of Chadwick Boseman's character

Black Panther returns to cinemas worldwide this week, having lost its star with the tragic early death of Chadwick Boseman, but none of its determination to push for greater diversity in superhero movies. Chadwick Boseman, who died from cancer two years ago aged 43, makes several flashback appearances in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The real-life grief of the filmmakers is reflected in the film as Wakanda struggles to survive following the death of Boseman's character, King T'Challa. Director Ryan Coogler had been preparing the sequel for almost a year when Chadwick Boseman died, causing him to take a new direction focused on T'Challa's sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright.

"When you lose somebody, there's a blast radius. It's like a bomb that goes off," Coogler said at a press conference.

"The worst nightmare that you can have is if something were to happen to you, the people who you love and leave behind would be unmoored, would be lost. We were exploring all of those things," he said. Wright praised Coogler's handling of her character's journey as she tackles her grief and becomes queen.

"We were able to bring something that felt real, that felt truthful. And I was able to really give my heart to it and give Shuri a full arc," she said.