After the heartbreaking loss of Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever became more than just a film. It became a cathartic celebration of life, allowing everyone who watched it to face pain and grief in their own unique ways. But, according to writer-director Ryan Coogler, the original version of the movie with Boseman at the center would’ve been equally as powerful, just in a whole different way.
Speaking on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Coogler detailed specifically what his original script for Black Panther 2 would’ve been about, and it sounds absolutely incredible. “I loved that script, bro,” Coogler said. “I put so much into that version of the movie because I felt like I had gotten to know Chadwick as a performer.”
So what was it about exactly? “The big thing about the script was that it was this thing called the Ritual of Eight,” Coogler said. “When a prince is eight years old, he has to go spend eight days in the bush with his father. Amongst those eight days, they have to go into the bush without any tools. And the prince has to listen and do everything that’s asked of him by his father, but the rule is, for those eight days, the prince can ask the father any question. And the father has to answer.”
“So during the course of those eight days, Namor launches an attack,” Coogler continued. “So that was what the movie was. He had to deal with somebody, and it was a different version of Namor in that script, but he had to deal with someone who was, like, insanely dangerous. But, because of this ritual, his son had to be joined at his hip the whole time. So while he was engaging in negotiations and fights, his son had to be right there, or else they’d have to violate this ritual, which had never been broken.”
Coogler also revealed that when he finished that version of the script, he sent it to Boseman to read, but he was too sick to do so. He passed sometime after, and for a while some people thought the movie would never happen. That was until Coogler then took the tragic loss of Boseman and put it right at the heart of the new film, making it about how Wakanda and its people dealt with the loss of their king. It went on to be a huge hit, and Coogler is currently working on a third film, expected to be released in 2028. Oh, and he made a small film called Sinners in between.
But fans will always think about how things would’ve been different if Boseman were still with us, and now, finally, we know 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 all of the Black Panther talk, and two movies ahead for more on Black Panther 3.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
