Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes out in just a few days, and there is already a lot of conversation about what the future will be – and will it include Ryan Coogler?
Coogler spoke to i09 and discussed how when the first film came out, there were different kinds of expectations. “[…] for a long time, it was kind of our little secret. The details of it, the tribes, what was going to happen, what the characters look like, what they were going to do. That was all our thing.” Now, a billion-dollar box office and Oscar nomination later, it is a different ball game.
On the topic of topping that, even though Wakanda Forever won’t open for another week, Moore did suggest he’d love Coogler to come back for a third film and that the team at Marvel has begun discussing it.
Nate Moore, the producer of both Panther movies, was asked what it would take to get Coogler back: “That’s the million-dollar question. Look, you never want to count your chickens before they hatch and the movie’s not out yet. Right now it’s like, let’s see how people respond to this film. But the hope is audiences demand that we make another one and certainly, there have been ideas thrown around. So we’ll see.”
Coogler in contrast, says that he hasn’t thought about it yet. Not entirely, anyway.
“When it comes to writing and directing, I’m not the world’s greatest multitasker,” he said. “I kind of got to do what is in front of me and be singular. When it comes to producing, I’m more geared up to be able to do multiple things. And to plan things, I’ve got a great production company and fantastic collaborators that can help move things along. But when it comes to writing, and in this case, co-writing and directing, I’ve got to finish what’s in front of me and then and then think of all that is happening after that.”
Will There Be a ‘Black Panther 3’?
Having seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, there is undoubtedly a lot set up for a third film that fits organically into the world that has been crafted. Marvel Studios has promised that “Black Panther will return” – but under whose guidance?
Coogler has a particular vision, but most importantly, he respects the craft and his actors. There is proper care, and he has gained enough power within Marvel that I feel his vision would be trusted and respected. I would hate to lose that simply because it is a power most studios don’t give directors when dealing with this much money.
Plus, he truly loves Black people, culture, and places. I would hate to risk bringing in someone who didn’t also have that transparent love for Blackness.
We will have a third Black Panther film, but it will feel like a massive loss if Coogler isn’t around to wrap up his vision of a trilogy of films.
(via Gizmodo, featured image: Jesse Grant / Stringer / Getty Images)
