‘Black Panther’: The Directions Chadwick Boseman Gave Actors to Keep Wakanda Culture Consistent
Chadwick Boseman will forever be Black Panther, king of Wakanda. Introduced in Black Panther, Wakanda is a beautiful country with its own unique identity and culture. Since Boseman is king, he knew what needed to happen in order for the culture to remain consistent in each movie. Marvel directors, The Russo brothers, explained how Chadwick Boseman kept the culture of Black Panther consistent in Avengers: Infinity War.
‘Black Panther’ introduced audiences to the world of Wakanda
Chadwick Boseman made his debut as King T’Challa/ Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. After his father’s death in Civil War, T’Challa becomes the king of Wakanda. Director Ryan Coogler brought Wakanda to life in Black Panther, introducing Marvel viewers to a new setting and culture. The culture of Wakanda blends black cultures from all around the world in a unique African environment.
Boseman returned with the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Wakanda became a centerpiece for a major battle in Infinity War, and Boseman made sure that the culture from Black Panther carried over into the major crossover films. The Russo brothers introduced Black Panther into this universe, but Ryan Coogler brought Wakanda to life.
Chadwick Boseman gave specific directions to make sure the culture of ‘Black Panther’ remained consistent
The Russo brothers recently appeared in a video for Vanity Fair where they broke down scenes from their movies. During the Avengers: Infinity War segment, the directors dissected the beginning of the Wakanda battle. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo explained that Chadwick Boseman was a key part in making sure the culture of Wakanda carried over from Black Panther.
Joe: “They were making Black Panther while we were shooting Infinity War and they were on a process of discovery with Ryan Coogler. Anthony and I went to visit Ryan early in prep. It was the most impressive prep we had ever seen for a film. He had every wall covered with the structure of Wakanda, the culture of Wakanda. It was so dense and so detailed. We were completely blown away. I remember walking out of that room going, ‘That movie’s going to be absolutely incredible.’ And I remember Chadwick taking Anthony and I aside and explaining to us the mythology that they had been developing.”
Anthony: “We had a depth of a relationship with Chadwick cause we introduced the character with him in Civil War and he was basically the ambassador for everything that had been done after that movie with Ryan Coogler. He would go off and work with some of the other actors on the sort of Wakandan formation, the Wakandan Stance…”
Joe: “Stunt players who were not in Black Panther, he would take them through the chants. How to pronounce it correctly, the diction, the form that they would take, how they would hold their body in an attack stance.”
Anthony: “He was being the leader of Wakanda.”
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ will present a new leader of Wakanda
In 2020, Boseman died after secretly battling colon cancer for many years. Marvel Studios elected not to recast T’Challa, meaning there will be a new leader in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The first trailer shows that the movie will honor Chadwick Boseman but will also move forward with a new Black Panther in order to fight a new threat.
The Black Panther cast has been very open with how difficult it was to shoot the sequel without Boseman. As presented by the Russo brothers, Boseman was a leader and it will be hard to fill in that gap.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters on Nov. 11, 2022.
