With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the horizon, the absence of Chadwick Boseman is striking. The decision not to recast Boseman’s T’Challa after the actor’s untimely passing in 2020 and instead write his death in the sequel’s script was praised by the cast for honoring his memory in a way that space. late for their real sorrow.
Letitia Wrightwho plays T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, says the decision was also important for her character’s real growth — almost certainly the next person to take the Black Panther business suit.
Speaking at a press event prior to Wakanda Forever’s premiere, Wright says she had a “heart-to-heart” with director Ryan Coogler about how to move forward as she tried to honor Boseman’s legacy every step of the way.
“It was primarily by connecting with Ryan. That heart-to-heart conversation about how can we take a gentle step forward because it was so raw when we spoke. It was just Ryan telling me how the different characters and how the world would expand a little bit, but also how we’re going to grow. We all take so many different turns, and so does Shuri.”
Part of the conversation, Wright says, was figuring out how the young, “protected” Shuri would deal with the heartbreak of her older brother’s grief.
“We meet her in the first movie, and she’s that ray of sunshine. She’s so dressed and protected in royalty and love and proud of her big brother taking this step, following his father’s legacy. And she just wants to create.” I like Shuri in the first one because there was no limit for her either. She was the person her brother went to for his protection and his armor, and he encouraged it. Her family encouraged her to be a genius and wonderfully made. We follow up on that. What does it look like when your heart is broken?”
Wright hopes Wakanda forever Will resonate with grieving fans
Once Wright and Coogler knew what the next step was for Shuri, the actress said she felt she could give her character a true-to-life, “full arc.”
“I think it was just Ryan’s advice on how to create a full arc of this human being; of this young woman going through something along with her fellow relatives in general, and Wakandans.
I think the way it’s written, and the tenderness and softness of how we approached it, [showed that] we have always communicated every step of the way. We were able to bring something that felt real; that felt truthful, and I was able to really put my heart into it and give Shuri a full arc.”
Ultimately, Wright says she hopes the sequel will bring some healing to the fans grieving alongside his loved ones Boseman.
“Hopefully people can really resonate with that and find healing with it alongside us,” she said.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.
This story comes to us from ScreenRant.