Black Panther director Ryan Coogler recently mourned the Black Panther star and shared some original concepts for the film in a podcast interview

In an article from Deadline covering a podcast appearance by Black Panther filmmaker Ryan Coogler, we received some new insight into the original script for Black Panther 2, revealing that a full 180-page draft was completed before the tragic 2020 death of star Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer.

The director explained that Boseman was too ill to read the script—a project he described as deeply meaningful—and that its story would have centered on King T’Challa and his young son as they navigated both Wakandan tradition and an attack by Namor.

“The big thing about the script was a thing called the Ritual of 8 where, [when] a prince is 8 years old, he has to go spend 8 days in the bush with his father,” the Sinners writer-helmer explained. “The rule is for those 8 days the prince can ask the father any question and the father has to answer. During the course of those 8 days, Namor [played by Tenoch Huerta in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever] launches an attack … and it was a different version of Namor in that script, but he had to deal with someone who’s insanely dangerous, but because of this ritual, his son had to be joined at his hip the whole time … or else they’d have to violate this ritual that had never been broken. It was insane, and Chadwick was going to kill it, but life goes as it goes.”

Coogler reflected on the creative process and the profound impact of Boseman’s performance, saying he had aimed to push the actor into new dramatic territory and “loved” the original version of the movie. He also discussed how Boseman’s passing necessitated a complete rethinking of the sequel, leading to the 2022 release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which shifted focus to other characters in the wake of T’Challa’s absence. The director framed the experience as both a personal and professional challenge, mourning his collaborator while honoring his legacy onscreen.

“Our relationship was very interesting ’cause he meant a lot of me but I found out after his passing from his family and his friends about how much I meant to him, which f***ed me up pretty good. I wondered if he knew just how much he meant to me. I did wonder, but he protected me from a lot; our relationship was one of a lot of protection. I was convinced, on the toughest days on Panther, that I was gonna get fired … He was like, ‘I would never let that happen to you.’”

Looking ahead, Coogler spoke little on his next project with Black Panther 3, only signaling that the franchise will continue evolving even as it carries forward the emotional and narrative ramifications of Boseman’s loss.

You can check out the full interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast below:

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