Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Director Breaks Silence After Film's Successful Premiere

By Jenna Anderson

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler is thanking audiences for their support of the film, following its impressive performance at the box office. In an open letter posted to Marvel Studios' social media accounts on Wednesday night, Coogler expressed gratitude to the fans who have shown up for the film, ultimately leading to it grossing over $500 million globally thus far. The film serves as the cinematic conclusion to Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and also deals with the passing of franchise star Chadwick Boseman.

"Thank you," Coogler's letter reads in part. "Thank you to the people who bought their tickets early and camped out opening weekend. Thank you to those of you took their families out- young ones and elders in tow. To those who organized youth screenings and afterparties, who bought out theaters for communities and friends. To all of you who watched multiple times, and encouraged other folks to check it out. Our film is over two and a half hours long, so thank you for holding those bathroom breaks. Our film has 6 languages spoken in it. Thank you for bearing with the subtitles. And our film deals with the inescapable human emotion of grief. Thank you for opening yourself up to the emotional journey of this film. We made something to honor our friend, who was a giant in our industry, and we also made something to be enjoyed in theatrical setting with friends, family, and strangers. Something to be quoted and discussed. To be debated. Something to make people both physically and emotionally feel seen. This medium wouldn't exist without an audience, and I thank you for giving me professional purpose, and an emotional outlet. I look forward to bringing you more stories in the future."

What is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever about?

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the leaders of the kingdom of Wakanda fight to protect their nation from invading forces in the wake of King T'Challa's death, and a new threat emerges from the hidden undersea nation of Talokan.

The film sees the return of Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross. New cast members will include Tenoch Huerta as Namor, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart, Michaela Coel as Aneka, Mabel Cadena as Namora, and Alex Livinalli as Attuma.

What do you think of Ryan Coogler's open letter about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently playing exclusively in theaters.

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