After the death of its megastar, Marvel Studios’ hit “Black Panther” franchise is back — weaving tributes throughout its upcoming sequel to honor the man that helped bring Wakanda to life. The director dropped the trailer over the weekend, showing the fictional African nation mourning their king, complete with a huge mural of T’challa, played by the late actor who wore the mantle temporarily.
On Saturday, July 23, director Ryan Coogler headed up one of the panels during the movie’s portion of Marvel’s Hall H presentation at Comic-Con. In front of thousands of anxious fans, he shared the trailer of the highly anticipated film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the second installment of the series about the first Black superhero in comic books, Variety reports.
Before dropping the teaser, Coogler reminisced on the process of making the movie after the death of Chadwick Boseman, the first to play the Wakandan king.
“It’s going to be hard to follow that up, but we’ll try,” the “Creed” director stated after reflecting on the huge success of the first “Black Panther” that made $202,003,951, opening weekend and ultimately exited its 45 week-theatrical tenure with a worldwide box office gross of $1,346,913,161.
The original film secured seven Oscar nominations, and three wins for Original Score, Costume Design, and Production Design. It also became the first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture with the Academy.
“It’s been five years since I was here,” he continued. “I sat about there and we premiered the first footage from ‘Black Panther 1,’ and sitting next to me was our T’Challa, the late great Chadwick Boseman.”
Boseman, the beloved lead actor in the movie, died on August 28, 2020, after privately battling colon cancer for four years. Coogler said, even as he spoke to the audience he felt his friend was there celebrating the moment with him.
He said, “I sat right there and we premiered the first footage from ‘Black Panther … and the late great Chadwick Boseman was sitting with me … he was excited and he grabbed my left shoulder with his hand.”
“Standing right here now, I promise you, I can feel his hand on me right now. Chad is no longer with us physically, but his spirit … will be felt forever.”
“Chad’s passion and genius and his culture and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever,” he guaranteed the audience.
In the trailer, there are many Easter eggs dropped in the film, as well as a glimpse of a mural of Boseman memorialized as the king behind young African male drummers playing music on an elevated structure.
It opens with singer Tems’ cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “No Woman No Cry,” with a sample of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” Wakanda is mourning their young king, making the song eerily appropriate as it pushes people to associate T’Challa/Boseman’s demise with Marley’s premature death at 36.
Some people just loved the pairing of the song with the visual.
“When trailers do that thing with music that has goosebumps all over ur skin and u start levitating over the bed. see- black panther 2”
In what is assumed to be the homecoming of the king, the villagers are all dressed in white and doing traditional West African ceremonial dances with members of the royal family processing in.
Many believe there are references to T’Challa’s sister Shuri possibly assuming the mantle of Black Panther, and also a powerful scene of his mother, Ramonda as Queen of Wakanda, played by Angela Bassett, mourning not just the loss of her son, but her husband who died earlier in the franchise’ storyline.
In an emotional outburst, edited at the climax of the trailer, Bassett wails, “I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone.”
Fans seemed to like the trailer going on social media in a frenzy to give their thoughts.
“I have watched the black panther trailer 10 times already. Ryan Coogler is the goat.”
“The #WakandaForever teaser trailer is literally the most HYPE thing I’ve seen since the original
@theblackpanther trailer. If that doesn’t give you chills you’re not human. And that song choice with the subtle transition… beyond chef’s kiss.”
“Rewatching the Black Panther Wakanda Forever trailer again and it’s just a work of art. Ryan Coogler’s direction, Autumn Durald’s cinematography, Ruth E. Carter’s costume design, and Hannah Bleachler’s production design are just so extraordinary! I’m ready for this film!”
“We put our love for Chadwick into this film,” Coogler wanted fans to know.
“We also put our passion. This film has a ton of action and humor. It’s also a roller coaster of a movie. It goes to new places in Wakanda that we’ve never been before but other corners of the MCU.”
Other stars in the film returning are Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, and Winston Duke.
Duke spoke about making the film and said, “It’s a labor of love, and I have so much gratitude to be a part of it and be able to share it with you.”
“It’s a blessing. We’ve all grown so much as a family, and it feels great to see you guys and honor big bro at the same time,” said Wright.
“We honored him by committing ourselves to the story that he started, the legacy that he started with this franchise,” Wright continued. “And we just committed every day to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced — and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations — but we came together as a team, and we poured everything into this movie, so I’m excited for you to see it.”
The cast also welcomes Michaela Coel, Dominique Thorne, Alex Nivilani, Mabel Cadena and Tenoch Huerta.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: will be released in U.S. theaters on Nov. 11.
