A new Black Panther has arrived in the MCU, and now that it is known who took responsibility for protecting Wakanda, the producers behind the sequel have discussed the decision to continue T’Challa’s legacy with someone from his fictional family.
Then there is SPOILERS of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
In the events of the new Marvel Studios movie, it is revealed that Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, was commissioned to take the mantle of Black Panther after ingesting the heart herb. But to get there, he had to come a long way, from the passing of Chadwick Boseman to the election of Letitia Wright as his successor. How did it all happen?
This is how the new Black Panther was chosen
What happens is that within the production they were aware that this movement was logical, since the dramatic weight of the story warranted that something like this be done. The producer, Nate Moore, explained the decision to marvel.com:
“Shuri just felt like the most organic narrative choice.. We had an interpreter who we knew could carry the film if she agreed to do it. We didn’t really explore other options as thoroughly because this felt like the right thing to do. Letitia [Wright] wanted and wants to do the right thing with this franchise. He understood: A) What it means to people in general, and B) I think [entendia] what this franchise meant to Chadwick, as an artist, and as a performer.”
And added the following:
“Although I’m not sure she envisioned herself putting on the mantle and carrying this film, she was 100% in it. I think that’s a credit to her and her spirit. Going to her and saying, ‘Hey, we want to continue this franchise and we think you’re the right person to be at the center of it’ was a huge request. But she was up for it and she has never doubted her responsibility as a storyteller.
On the other hand, the director Ryan Coogler, assures that, if Shuri was wanted to be the successor to his brother, it was because it would be interpreted as a heartfelt tribute to Chadwick Boseman, whose death was extremely unexpected. These were his words:
“It’s hard to say it was obvious because Chad’s passing was so unexpected, but it was a choice that made a lot of sense. When we figured out what the theme was and when you talk about T’Challa’s death, who would be most affected by that? It became clear that Shuri had to be the nexus of our film. He always figured, ‘My brother is going to be the Black Panther and when he’s too old to be, I’m going to be too old to be.’ It never occurred to him to have to do it. We thought that would make her the most interesting character to do.”
Letitia Wright, who plays the new Black Panther, also spoke about her process to become the Wakandan protector. She sees it as an opportunity to continue to inspire other people. She this said:
“You have to keep inspiring people, you have to keep going. When Ryan called me, it was tough. He slowly and gently explained to me his intent of how we could honor Chad in this film and how we can honor what was created for us as a family.”
In addition, he added that acting the role worked for him to deal with his grief:
“I had to process that and pray and ask him [a Chadwick] if it’s okay to do it. Once I felt at peace, which was the right thing to do, I agreed. I told Ryan that I would do my best. I got engaged. I told myself that I would honor God and honor Chad with Shuri in BBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. Then it was just a process of going through this and I’m praying we make him proud.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever It’s already in theaters.
Jose Roberto Landaverde Movie buff and music lover. I am fascinated by writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to the seventh art. I’m a fan of Rocky and Back to the Future and obviously one day I’ll climb the “Philly Steps” and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that on the big screen we can all see ourselves represented. I constantly, like Scott Pilgrim, ask myself: “Does bread make you fat?”