‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Considered Quitting Filmmaking Because of Chadwick Boseman’s Death: ‘I’m Walking Away’
J. Kim Murphy “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler has opened up about his grieving for the film’s star Chadwick Boseman, who died in Aug. 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker shared that Boseman’s death led him to reconsider continuing his work in the entertainment industry. “I was at a point when I was like, ‘I’m walking away from this business,'” Coogler stated. “I didn’t know if I could make another movie period [or] another ‘Black Panther’ movie, because it hurt a lot. I was like, ‘Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?'” Coogler went on to explain that he spent the following weeks revisiting footage of himself with Boseman, who he saw as a major creative collaborator and champion of “Black Panther.” Returning to memories of his own relationship with the actor, the filmmaker began to rediscover his passion for the kingdom of Wakanda and its narrative possibilities.