Here’s how ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ paid tribute to late Chadwick Boseman

Ruth E. Carter, costume designer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, revealed how the franchise honoured the late titular hero, Chadwick Boseman, in an interview with Variety.

“In the Ancestral Plane, when T’Challa wakes up and sees his father, he’s wearing white,” shared Carter. “White is a colour that’s worn in a lot of funerals in Africa — it’s either bright red or it’s white — and we chose white because it connects us to Chadwick, to T’Challa.”

In the trailer for the movie, the clip opens with Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and her daughter Shuri (Letitia Wright) lead a legion of Wakanda's citizens through the streets, all dressed in white. In true striking cinematography, Shuri is seen cradling the Black Panther mask - a distinct color contrast to the ocean of white behind her, detailed Collider.

Previously, director Ryan Coogler talked about paying homage to Boseman in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“I was at a point when I was like, 'I'm walking away from this business,'” Coogler, 36, admits. '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?'"

Following Boseman's death, Coogler started replaying memories in his head. He would rewatch old footage of himself with Boseman, or he would listen to interviews where his friend would speak about what the character of T'Challa and what Wakanda meant to him, described EW.

The actor had always been a fierce advocate for the film, and as Coogler listened to Boseman's words, he found himself thinking about the future again. "I was poring over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realised was the end of his life. I decided that it made more sense to keep going."

"The movie is very much about how you move forward while dealing with a tragic loss," explains producer Nate Moore. "All of the characters, both old and new, are dealing with how loss can affect your actions in ways that are emotional and surprising."

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theatres on November 11, 2022.