Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Oscar Winner Barry Jenkins Praises Ryan Coogler’s Marvel Sequel

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been in theaters for a few weeks now, and its pop culture impact is only continuing to grow. The Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel had a lot of elements to deal with, from the real-life passing of franchise star Chadwick Boseman, to advancing the narratives of countless other characters. The latest creative to celebrate Wakanda Forever‘s direction is Oscar-winning Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, who took to Twitter to share a lengthy thread praising the film, its handing of Boseman’s absence, and the cultural significance of Tenoch Huerta’s Namor.

“The absence is acknowledged and the presence created in that acknowledgment is beyond moving. Seeing this, there is no way that role being recast would have been more thoughtful or honorable than this. Again, an impossible task.”

“I never imagined a Marvel film would provide the space to see such engagement spread out before an audience of global MILLIONS; people communally hearing the Mayan language Diego de Landa sought to eradicate by torture and fire in settings he could NEVER imagine. I’m nearly certain that in THIS film Ryan Coogler frames a Maya child standing over the prone body of Diego de Landa and, in a moment of pure feeling, allows that child the (just) vengeance of repaying de Landa’s scorching with a fire of the child’s own. Could NEVER imagine. For me the Mesoamerican film within the film runs hand in hand with the mourning of both man and character as the movie’s beating heart. That they both resonate alongside the requisite thrill-ride of super humans dodging lasers and spears is beyond impressive. I mean BEEEEYOND.”

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

A thread 👇🏿

I don’t know how Ryan did this. Given everything, I’m speechless at how he (and his collaborators) did this.

Thoughtful. Even more thoughtful than one would hope it would be given… EVERYTHING.

Impossible. An impossible task.

— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) December 3, 2022

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.