Lupita Nyong’o claims the plot of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was “informed” by the death of Chadwick Boseman. The 39-year-old actress – who starred opposite the late Chadwick in the 2018 MCU movie “Black Panther” – explained that the “unexpected” loss of her co-star created a question for director Ryan Coogler to answer in the sequel.
“Well, Chadwick’s life and his death informed the story of this film. When we lost him, none of us were expecting it and Ryan really had to contend with how to move forward. He ended up really embracing that question and making it the central question of this narrative. How do you move forward when you are faced with such great tragedy, with such deep loss?” she said.
The Oscar-winning star – who features in the Marvel film alongside the likes of Michael B. Jordan and Angela Bassett – went on to add that real-life grief is reflected in the new movie and hopes that fans will be “heartened” by the story that has been created following the tragedy.
She told ScreenRant, “We see characters who are dealing with the loss in very different ways and, in so doing, we explore all the different stages of grief and how cyclical it can be. We hopefully learn and identify with the characters, but at the same time, there was a desire for each one of us to pay tribute to a life that had touched us so deeply.”
“I think fans are going to be heartened by that because you can feel him, but it’s not a weight on the story. It’s actually the platform, the springboard from which the story takes place, and ultimately, we are looking for hope and providing it.”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is set for release on Friday, November 11. Meanwhile, Chadwick Boseman died in in 2020 at the age of 43 following a battle with colon cancer.
