Having already proven himself with Fruitvale Station and Creed, Ryan Coogler was hired by Marvel to direct and co-write Black Panther, and that decision paid off. Met with critical acclaim and making over $1.3 billion worldwide (it was a bigger domestic hit than Avengers: Infinity War), Black Panther proved to be one of the more memorable Marvel Cinematic Universe installments, so it wasn't to surprising to hear that Coogler is returning for Black Panther 2. Needless to say there's a lot riding on Coogler to make the sequel as good, if not better, than its predecessor, but Coogler won't let the pressure get to him since he's compartmentalizing the work. Coogler said:
When it comes to making a sequel, I've never done it before, a sequel to something that I've directed myself. So I think there's gonna be a lot of pressure there, but what we're going to try to do is just focus on the work, like we always do. Really try to go step by step and try to quiet everything else around us, really focus on trying to make something that has some type of meaning.
Of all the sequels to tackle as your first, Black Panther 2 is definitely a huge endeavor. However, as Ryan Coogler also noted in his interview with Indiewire, each of the three movies he's already directed came with their own "very specific amount of pressure," which, during the creative process, felt "insurmountable each time." So yes, Black Panther 2 comes with its own challenges, but as Coogler made clear, he's handling it like he would any other project: by ignoring the outside noise and doing his best to deliver a story that's meaningful.
Rather than sign onto Black Panther 2 immediately after it was clear Black Panther was successful, Ryan Coogler reportedly took his time coming up with a new deal for the sequel. Now that the paperwork has been signed, the plan is for him to start writing Black Panther 2 early next year, with production then beginning either in late 2019 or early 2020. So it will likely be three years until Black Panther 2 finally hits theaters, but hey, good work takes time.
When we left off with T'Challa at the end of Black Panther, he'd decided to reveal Wakanda's true nature to the world and establish a Wakandan outreach center in California in the building where his uncle N'Jobu was killed by his father, T'Chaka. Then came the events of Avengers: Infinity War, where Wakanda became a key battleground in the fight against Thanos' forces, and unfortunately, T'Challa found himself among the unlucky half of the universe turned to dust by the Mad Titan. However, Avengers 4 is expected to bring back most, if not all, of the heroes who disappeared at the end of Infinity War, so once T'Challa has been restored to life, the path to Black Panther 2 will be opened.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for all the latest updates concerning Black Panther 2. In the meantime, find out what else is in development for the MCU by browsing through our handy guide.
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