The problem with making a movie as critically acclaimed and commercially successful as Black Panther is that people will soon start wondering if you can do it all over again. Indeed, expectations are already high for Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 2, but from the sound of things, the director isn’t letting all the pressure get to him.
In an interview with IndieWire, Coogler observed how none of his three feature films have exactly been walks in the park, and so this upcoming project is just one more challenge to take on.
“I think the pressure is kind of always going to be there,” Coogler said. “I’ve had a chance to make three feature films, each one of them had its own very specific type of pressure. In the process of it, it feels insurmountable each time.”
That being said, this next flick is a little different from those last three releases, in that it’s a sequel to one of Coogler’s own movies. Nonetheless, the filmmaker seems willing to give this feature as much time and attention as he has for his previous works.
“When it comes to making a sequel, I’ve never done it before, a sequel to something that I’ve directed myself,” he added. “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.”
From the sound of things, it could be some time before we see things really moving forward with the sequel, with Coogler’s next feature looking to be a drama called Wrong Answer that’s based on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. What’s more, with a recently rumored Marvel release slate suggesting that 2020 will be the year of Black Widow and The Eternals, chances are that Black Panther 2 won’t be finding a place in the MCU schedule until at least 2021.
In any case, before T’Challa can return for his next standalone outing, first Marvel needs to resolve the cliffhanger that concluded Avengers: Infinity War. After Black Panther turned to dust in Thanos’ purge of the universe, there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing him again in one piece when Avengers 4 hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, awards season beckons for Coogler’s latest film.
