Ryan Coogler has opened up about the Black Panther sequel that never was—a deeply personal father-son story centered on Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa that would have been radically different from the film audiences eventually received.
Speaking on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the writer-director detailed the 180-page script he completed before Boseman’s tragic death from colon cancer in August 2020 at age 43. What emerges is a portrait of both a compelling unmade film and the profound creative partnership between Coogler and Boseman that was cut devastatingly short.
A Father-Son Story in the Wake of the Blip
The original Black Panther 2 would have explored T’Challa’s return after the five-year period when he was erased from existence during Thanos’s snap. The film’s codename was “Summer Break,” and it centered on a summer that T’Challa’s eight-year-old son Toussaint would spend with his father.
Coogler had previously shared with The New York Times that the film would open with an animated sequence featuring Nakia explaining T’Challa to their son, who had no memory of his biological father and didn’t even know his dad was the Black Panther. The story would then cut to the night everyone returned from the Blip, showing T’Challa meeting his son for the first time, before jumping ahead three years to explore their co-parenting relationship.
The Ritual of Eight
In his recent interview, Coogler revealed new details about the script’s central conceit: the Ritual of Eight, a Wakandan tradition that would have provided the film’s dramatic framework.
“When a prince is eight years old he has to go spend eight days in the bush with his father… And amongst those eight days they have to go into the bush without any tools. The prince has to listen to 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.”
This ritual would have created an intimate father-son bonding experience even as global threats intruded. During these eight days in the wilderness, Namor would launch an attack on Wakanda, forcing T’Challa to engage in high-stakes negotiations and combat while his son remained at his side.
“Because of this ritual his son had to be joined at his hip the whole time. So while he was engaging in negotiations, fights, his son had to be right there or violate this ritual which had never been broken.”
The setup promised both action spectacle and emotional depth, as T’Challa would have to balance saving the world with fulfilling his duties as a father and upholding sacred Wakandan tradition.
The Script Boseman Never Read
Tragically, Boseman was too ill to read the completed script. Coogler had finished the 180-page draft and asked his star to review it, but Boseman’s condition had deteriorated too far. The director never got to discuss the story with the actor who would have brought it to life.
“Chad was going to kill it, bro. But life goes as it goes.”
Looking back at what could have been, Coogler expressed deep affection for the unmade film: “I love that script. I put so much into that version of the movie. Because I felt like I had gotten to know Chadwick as a performer… I threw a lot at Chad in the first Panther, but I realized I was just scratching the surface.”
A Protective Friendship
Coogler also spoke about his relationship with Boseman, revealing details that underscore the depth of their bond and how much Boseman’s loss affected him personally.
“Our relationship was really interesting because he meant a lot to me. But I found out after his passing, from his family and from his friends, how much I meant to him, which messed me up pretty good. I wondered if he knew just how much he meant to me.”
The director recalled how Boseman protected him during the production of the first Black Panther, particularly on difficult days when Coogler feared he might be fired.
“One day he took me to the side and he was like, ‘Yo, stop saying that. I was like, ‘Man, I really feel that way.’ He was like, ‘Look at me, bro. I would never let that happen to you. I would not let that happen to you.'”
Reflecting on Boseman’s battle with cancer, Coogler said: “To know one of the strongest people was having his strength taken from him by this disease, it damaged me, bro. Probably irreparably, to be honest with you.”
Wakanda Forever: A Different Film
After Boseman’s death, Coogler faced the monumental task of completely reimagining the sequel. The result was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which shifted focus to T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and became as much a meditation on grief as a superhero adventure.
Namor still appeared in Wakanda Forever, though under vastly different circumstances than originally planned. Instead of attacking during a father-son ritual, the character served a different narrative purpose in a story about loss, legacy, and finding the strength to move forward.
“I got a chance to make a movie about women. I love that movie so much, bro.”
While Wakanda Forever succeeded on its own terms—earning critical acclaim and strong box office returns—fans will always wonder what the original script might have achieved with Boseman at its center.
Why Return for Black Panther 3?
With two critically and commercially successful Black Panther films under his belt, Coogler faces no pressure to return for a third installment. When Horowitz asked why he’s making Black Panther 3 when he has nothing left to prove, Coogler’s response emphasized artistic passion over obligation.
“I’m not making movies to prove anything. I’m telling stories that I want to tell, that I’m obsessed with, that I feel like the burning desire to do. It’s a movie that I’m incredibly excited about. That’s really the truth of it.”
He continued: “I’m in it for my heart. I got this movie on my heart. And yeah, from the outside looking in, you might say, ‘Man, why this dude making another one of those?’ But that’s totally fine. That question makes sense. I don’t deny that. And it’s my job as a filmmaker to show why.”
Black Panther 3 is confirmed to be in development and will feature Denzel Washington in an undisclosed role. However, the project remains far off, as Coogler is currently focused on reviving The X-Files for television.
An X-Files Detour
Before returning to Wakanda, Coogler is tackling another beloved franchise. His X-Files revival will balance standalone “monster of the week” episodes with the overarching conspiracy mythology that defined the original series.
“We intend on having both Monsters of the Week and the overarching conspiracy. I’m grappling with that. But that’s what I’m doing now. Panther comes after that. I’m blessed to be working on things this cool.”
The Film That Might Have Been
The original Black Panther 2 script represents a fascinating “what if” in Marvel Cinematic Universe history. A father-son adventure blending intimate family drama with superhero action, grounded in African tradition while dealing with post-Blip consequences—it sounds like exactly the kind of emotionally rich, culturally specific storytelling that made the first Black Panther so groundbreaking.
The Ritual of Eight would have provided a unique structure for a superhero film, forcing the hero to remain vulnerable and present for his child even while saving the world. It’s the kind of high-concept premise that uses genre elements to explore universal human experiences—in this case, fatherhood, legacy, and the challenge of being fully present for your children while carrying enormous responsibilities.
“We had some crazy scenes in there for Chad, man,” Coogler told The New York Times in 2022, suggesting action sequences and emotional beats that would have showcased new dimensions of Boseman’s considerable talents.
Honoring a Legacy
While fans will never see the Black Panther sequel Coogler originally envisioned, the director’s willingness to discuss it honors both the work he put into that script and the actor who would have brought it to life. It’s a reminder that behind every finished film are countless alternate versions, paths not taken, and stories that remain forever locked in screenplays.
Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of T’Challa across four Marvel films established the character as one of the MCU’s most beloved heroes. His performance in Black Panther became a cultural phenomenon, proving that superhero films could be both commercially massive and culturally significant.
Learning about the father-son story that would have been his next chapter adds another layer of poignancy to Boseman’s loss. Yet it also highlights the creative partnership between actor and director that produced something special, even if that partnership was cut tragically short.
As Coogler prepares to eventually return to Wakanda for Black Panther 3, he carries with him not just the success of two films, but the memory of the unmade movie and the friend who would have starred in it. That weight informs everything he creates, including whatever story he’s now burning to tell in the third installment.
“I got this movie on my heart,” Coogler said. And for a filmmaker whose heart has been through so much, that statement carries profound weight.
