Ryan Coogler’s Original Plan for Chadwick Boseman in ‘Black Panther 2’ Was So Good

After the heartbreaking loss of Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever became more than just a movie. He became a cathartic celebration of lifeallowing everyone who watched it to deal with pain and heartbreak in their own way. But, according to writer-director Ryan Coogler, the original version of the film with Boseman at the center would have been just as powerful, but in a completely different way.

Speaking on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Coogler detailed specifically what his original script was for Black Panther 2 that would have been the case, and it seems absolutely incredible. “I loved that script, bro,” Coogler said. “I invested so much in this version of the film because I felt like I got to know Chadwick as a performer.”

So what exactly was it about? “The most important thing about the storyline was that it was about this thing called the Ritual of Eight,” Coogler said. “When a prince is eight years old, he must go and spend eight days in the bush with his father. Among these eight days, they must go to the bush without any tools. And the prince must listen and do everything that his father asks him, but the rule is that during these eight days, the prince can ask the father any question. And the father must answer.”

“So in those eight days, Namor launches an attack,” Coogler continued. “So that was the movie. He had to deal with someone, and it was a different version of Namor in this scenario, but he had to deal with someone who was incredibly dangerous. But, because of this ritual, his son had to be joined at his hip the entire time. So while he was engaging in negotiations and fighting, his son had to be there, otherwise they would have to violate this ritual, which had never been broken.”

Coogler also revealed that when he finished this version of the script, he sent it to Boseman to read, but he was too ill to do so. He died shortly after and for a time some thought the film would never see the light of day. That was until Coogler took the tragic loss of Boseman and placed it at the heart of the new film, telling the story of how Wakanda and its people dealt with the loss of their king. It was a huge success and Coogler is currently working on a third film, scheduled for release in 2028. Oh, and he directed a short film called Sinners between.

But fans will always think about how different things would have been if Boseman was still with us, and now, finally, we know that Coogler had a completely different, equally brilliant smash on his hands. You can watch Coogler talk about Black Panther 2 in the video below. Rewind a few minutes to hear the whole Black Panther talk, and two upcoming films to find out more Black Panther 3.

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