Director Ryan Coogler discusses his original vision for ‘Black Panther 2’

The sequel would’ve seen T’Challa face off against Namor while simultaneously trying to complete an important ritual with his son

While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did not match the original film’s $1.35 billion worldwide gross, it was still a significant critical and financial success for the studio, even after it was plagued by major setbacks, primarily due to the tragic death of star Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman’s passing forced director Ryan Coogler to make significant changes to his original plan, which resulted in revamping the entire story, leading to an entirely different film being released in theaters. That story shifted focus to Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, the sister of T’Challa, as the new Black Panther.

For some time now, Marvel fans have wondered what Coogler’s original plan for Black Panther II was, and now it appears we finally have the answer.

The two-time Academy Award nominee recently sat down with host Josh Horowitz on the “Happy Sad Confused podcast” amid his season-long press tour for his “Sinners” film and revealed that the original plans for the Black Panther sequel featured an entirely different storyline from the one released to theaters.

Coogler told Horowitz that when he finished his original draft of the script, he sent it to the actor to read, but he was too ill at the time to read and was “at a place where it wasn’t going to happen.” All the director could do during that time was offer his love, wisdom, and support. “I didn’t know what was going on. I knew what he wanted me to know.”

He would later find out, after the actor’s passing, that Boseman valued their friendship as well.

“Our relationship was very interesting. He meant a lot to me, but I found out after his passing from his family and his friends how much I meant to him. That fucked me up pretty good. I wonder if he knew how much he meant to me. I did wonder… 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,” he said.

His original script centered on T’Challa as a father and king, focusing on a Wakandan coming-of-age ritual called the “Ritual of Eight” where they would spend days in the bush with his son, focusing on their relationship while simultaneously dealing with a Namor-led attack.

“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,” he 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, launches an attack … and it was ea 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.” He concluded.

While the director has expressed regret over being unable to film his original script, he honored Boseman’s passing in Wakanda Forever through tributes, flashbacks, and themes of loss and resilience, rather than recasting. The film now serves as a dedication to his friend’s legacy, incorporating the actor’s work and impact into the story itself.

Boseman’s powerful portrayal of T’Challa created a lasting influence, and his legacy continues to inspire through the characters and themes of the franchise, ensuring the Black Panther mantle and Wakanda’s story endure for future generations.

For fans as heartbroken as I am over the news of an original script existing, just know that the story of the Black Panther and Wakanda isn’t over yet. Back in November, during the Sinners panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film in Los Angeles, Coogler was asked about his future plans and if another Black Panther movie was in the cards. He replied, “If it were anybody but you, I would say, ‘I can neither confirm nor deny. But we’re working hard on it. … Yeah, it’s the next movie.”

While there’s no official date for Black Panther 3, reports from late 2025 suggest Marvel is targeting a February 2028 release for the sequel, with production slated for early 2027, continuing after the Avengers: Secret Wars storyline.

That full exchange between Coolger and Horowitz on that recent episode of “Happy Sad Confused” can be viewed below.

“Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows” – T’Challa aka Chadwick Boseman