Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has revealed how he considered stepping away from the film industry for good after Chadwick Boseman's death. Coogler, who previously helmed Rocky Balboa spin-off Creed and 2013 drama Fruitvale Station, worked with the late star on the 2018 Marvel superhero epic. Boseman, who portrayed the universally acclaimed titular hero, passed away in 2020 after a heartbreaking battle with colon cancer.

Whilst the film's sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is now just months away from its theatrical release, Coogler disclosed that he struggled so much with Boseman's loss he was unable to imagine getting behind the camera again. "I was at a point when I was like, 'I'm walking away from this business,'" Coogler said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I didn't know if I could make another movie period, [let alone] another Black Panther movie, because it hurt a lot. I was like, 'Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?'"

In the end, it was Boseman's passion for the king of Wakanda that eventually brought him around. Coogler found himself watching interviews with the late legend talking about T'Challa and recollected speaking to him about the character. "I was [poring] over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realized was the end of his life," he said. "I decided that it made more sense to keep going."

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Image via Marvel Studios

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Understandably, Boseman's passing made moving forward a struggle for the entire cast. His on-screen sister Letitia Wright, who portrays Shuri in the film, previously opened up on how she struggled to imagine being on set without her "brother," admitting that she was "battling for months" with the idea.

In powerful tribute to the Emmy Award-winning actor, the cast pulled together to create a movie that they have vowed honors Boseman's legacy. When Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was announced, it was made clear the studio would not recast Boseman's role. Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed that it felt "much too soon" to look to have someone take on the mantle. Instead, the film addresses the on-screen (and off-screen) loss as part of its plot line. Audiences can expect to see Wakanda in mourning after T'Challa's death but teasers have suggested a new leader will continue his legacy with someone else set to take on the panther suit. But, in true Marvel fashion, the big 'who' remains to be seen. Although there is ample anticipation around the events set to unfold in the film, it is without a doubt that Boseman's off-screen heroism will be felt in theaters around the world.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters on November 11. Check out the trailer below: