Ryan Coogler is revealing how Chadwick Boseman's legacy was honored on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Following the unexpected passing of Boseman in 2020, the upcoming sequel to Black Panther will touch on the loss and grief experienced by the cast and crew, as well as the Marvel fandom at large. Executive producer Nate Moore shared that there was pressure to build on the previous movie and the late actor's contributions after Boseman's impact on the film industry and the MCU. After much debate surrounding the potential recasting of T'Challa, Marvel Studios opted to further observe Wakanda, as well as the large cast of characters introduced in the 2018 film, with Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and others returning to reprise their roles.

Premiering on November 11, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to follow the leaders of Wakanda who, in the wake of King T'Challa's death, must fight to protect their nation from intervening powers and the emergence of a new threat in Namor (Tenoch Huerta). For fans of the superhero genre and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Boseman's impact was undeniable, and Kevin Feige recently noted how "lucky and thankful" he feels to have known him, adding that his work will last forever. In dealing with relevant themes, the actors involved in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever likely tapped into their own emotions and, when navigating those feelings on a set where everyone was mourning, it would have been important to keep Boseman's spirit alive.

Related: Marvel Is Right To Wait On Black Panther 3Now, in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Coogler is sharing how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever honored Boseman's legacy on set. The director recounted an early meeting in which it was suggested that they leave number one on the call sheet blank for the late actor. He then discussed the effects that Boseman's death had on him and others involved, and stated that "his presence was right there on that call sheet." Read Coogler's full quote regarding honoring Boseman's legacy below:

"Easy. One of the first meetings I had right in pre-production, my AD Don Sparks, who was not with us on the first Black Panther—you had the great Lisa Satriano on that one. But I worked with Donald on Creed when we were in Philadelphia, and Don's a Black man. We jump on this meeting, and it's me and a producer and a couple other folks, and first thing he said is, "Hey, I'm working on this call sheet. I'm numbering the cast, and I figured we should leave number one for Chad. Leave that blank." I had to turn my Zoom camera off because I got a little choked up at the concept of that. But he affected the world, man. When you experience trauma, oftentimes it happens like a bomb. And sometimes, people are right there in that blast radius. A lot of us were there in the radius of it; we knew him. We worked with him for years and forged a bond with him that can only be forged through working on something that everybody cares about passionately. But he affected people that were not in the blast radius too. When you talk about making a Black Panther movie, his presence was right there on that call sheet. Even down to the fine details, we all carry him with us and we always will."

Why Chadwick Boseman Was Such An Inspiring Actor

Last year, Coogler explained that Boseman would not have wanted Black Panther to stop and touched on what made him so inspiring. He commented that despite going through his struggles in private, the actor was always thinking of others and helping his co-stars on set with their performances. Throughout his career, Boseman also portrayed a number of significant real-life figures, including Jackie Robinson and James Brown, and used his platform to address issues of injustice. Additionally, Boseman's turn as the superhero meant a lot to underrepresented communities and instilled hope in younger audiences.

The news of Boseman's passing shocked many in 2020 and given how important he was to Black Panther and the MCU at large, it is nice to hear about the efforts made to honor his legacy. The cast and crew all have a lot of appreciation for what Boseman brought to the MCU, and making another film without him had to be difficult. Fans of his will enjoy knowing that he remained an essential part of the filmmaking process, and can look forward to seeing how Marvel pays tribute when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters soon.

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