The stars of the highly-anticipated sequel to Marvel’s "Black Panther" walked the red carpet in Hollywood on Wednesday night at the "Wakanda Forever" world premiere but there was one name hugely missed, their late co-star Chadwick Boseman.
The actor, who played the lead, King T’Challa, in the 2018 original, died in 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer he had kept private. He was 43.
"It was definitely tough to go back to a space that you hold so dearly in your heart and are so attached to T'Challa, so attached to Chad," actress Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s younger sister Princess Shuri, said.
"But we had to just be strong, to follow through on the story and it got emotional at times. It still is, but one that we came together, we worked on. We made him proud."
“Black Panther”, in which Boseman played the king of the fictional African land of Wakanda, became a global hit and was hailed as a milestone for racial diversity in Hollywood.
Its sequel had been in the works when Boseman died.
"I dreaded it because I couldn't imagine moving forward without Chadwick,” said Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, who reprises her role as T'Challa's former lover Nakia.
“But then when Ryan Coogler, our director and writer, walked me through his idea to carry on with the story, I breathed a breath of relief because what he did was he incorporated the loss into the story," Nyong'o said. "And so as a person and as an actor, I didn't have to pretend like I hadn't experienced such a loss, such grief. And it very much makes use of that."
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" sees the protagonists working once again with the Dora Milaje, an elite group of female warriors, as they fight to protect their nation following the king's death.
It sees actors Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira reprise their roles as T'Challa's mother Ramonda and Dora Milaje head Okoye, respectively, as well as the arrival of Michaela Coel as Aneka, a Dora Milaje warrior.
The film begins its global cinema roll-out from Nov. 9.
Latest Stories
-
Afronita and Abigail get standing ovation at Britain’s Got Talent
6 mins -
Accused in murder of a military officer in Kasoa remanded
13 mins -
OSP cleared Cecilia Dapaah of corruption after investigations, not AG’s office – Godfred Dame
39 mins -
OSP only gave EOCO a narrow remit to investigate money laundering – A-G
50 mins -
Ghana’s Osman Bukari wins second successive Serbian Super League title with Red Star
52 mins -
GES bemoans growing tattooing, multiple-piercing, and bleaching among pupils
1 hour -
GRA-SML deal: Majority kicks against publication of KPMG audit report
1 hour -
GOIL introduces Super XP to give consumers more affordable options
2 hours -
Scottish Premiership: Mathew Anim Cudjoe and Dundee United secure promotion after Championship win
3 hours -
Leicester City trigger buy option for Fatawu Issahaku
3 hours -
We will ensure recent poor run of results is reversed – Hearts of Oak management to fans
4 hours -
GRA terminates 2 SML contracts, suspends upstream and minerals audit deal
4 hours -
Sister Derby joins Medikal on stage at 02 concert
4 hours -
Medikal’s 02 Concert: Shatta Wale, Sarkodie bring fireworks on stage
4 hours -
Playback: Newsfile discusses Cecilia Dapaah’s case, vote-buying allegations in Ejisu
4 hours