Ryan Coogler "reshaped" Black Panther 2 so that it is "respectful of the loss" of Chadwick Boseman, as sequel star Lupita Nyong'o recently told Yahoo .
During a chat about her YouTube Kids animated series Super Sema, Nyong'o was asked about Black Panther 2, which will soon go into production. Chadwick Boseman, who portrays the king of Wakanda and the Black Panther, T'Challa, passed away in August 2020 following a battle with colon cancer. "His passing is still extremely raw for me," Nyong'o says. "And I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to step on set and not have him there."
Nyong'o says director Ryan Coogler has accounted for how difficult this process will be, both for the actors involved and for Boseman's legacy. "We have a leader in Ryan, who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well," she says. "And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world. So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this.
"And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it," he added. "Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure."
Black Panther 2 is set to release next year on July 8, 2022.
Remembering Chadwick Boseman, an actor who brought everything to the screen.
