[Source: CBR]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever co-writer Joe Robert Cole said he’s in the dark about the original script of the superhero film potentially seeing the light of day.

In an in-depth interview with Rolling Stone, Cole stated he’s yet to have talks about the possible release of the script. The award-winning scribe of The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story also said he isn’t sure how to feel about the script becoming visible to the public in some capacity. “I wouldn’t know about that. I certainly haven’t had any conversations,” he said. “I don’t know how I’d feel about that. I don’t know how anybody feels about it. I’m not sure.”

While inquiring minds are curious to know what the initial script of the Black Panther sequel looked like prior to the death of its lead actor Chadwick Boseman, Cole said he’s proud of what his team came up with. “I’m really proud of what we’ve put out and how we’ve honored Chad,” he said. “I feel like the film speaks for itself. Anything beyond that, it’s above my pay grade.”

Boseman passed away in August 2020, aged 43, following a private battle with colon cancer.

Though Marvel and the movie’s director Ryan Coogler have yet to release the original script, Coogler and the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast have given insight into how long it was and what the original ideas were.

Letitia Wright, who stars as Shuri in the film, revealed that the original Black Panther 2 script was around 300 pages long. Boseman even made fun of its length while he was unwell.

When you do the math, 300 pages put the initial air time for the movie at five hours.
The final runtime for the Black Panther sequel was two hours and 41 minutes.

Furthermore, director Ryan Coogler revealed the script was meant to explore the grief felt by T’Challa following Avengers: Endgame. T’Challa would grieve the time he lost following a long and forced absence.

However, the movie arc shifted to focus on T’Challa’s family and how they coped with his death from a mysterious illness. According to Coogler, Boseman’s family had regular input during the creative process for the Black Panther follow-up.

Despite the necessary script changes, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has turned out to be a massive success.

Since its theatrical release across North America on Nov. 10, the Black Panther sequel has generated $546 million at the global box office, making it one of the highest-grossing films in 2022 and the biggest moneymaker of the fall, surpassing the Dwayne Johnson action/adventure movie Black Adam.