“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters next weekend to wrap up Phase 4 of the MCU, and Marvel fans have lots of questions in the lead-up to the film’s release. For instance, will the sequel be as successful as Ryan Coogler‘s 2018 film, which reeled in $1.3 billion at the global box office? Or how will this show set up Phase 5 content, such as the upcoming Disney+ series “Ironheart,” which centers on Dominique Thorne‘s Riri Williams/Ironheart?

Continue reading Ryan Coogler Says Original ‘Wakanda Forever’ Story Had T’Challa’s Struggles After The “Blip”: “He Was Going To Be Grieving The Loss of Time” at The Playlist.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters next Friday to wrap Phase 4 of the MCU. And while that’s exciting for Marvel fans, another more serious ambiance hangs over Ryan Coogler‘s sequel to his 2018 film. “Wakanda Forever” is a “Black Panther” movie without T’Challa himself, Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020 after a long battle with colon cancer.

Continue reading Ryan Coogler Says Chadwick Boseman Passed Away Before Reading The Completed Original ‘Wakanda Forever’ Script at The Playlist.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters next Friday and closes out Phase 4 of the MCU. But Ryan Coogler‘s sequel to his 2018 film is highly anticipated for several reasons. First, the film sees Tenoch Huerta bring Namor, one of the original Marvel Comics heroes, onto the big screen for the first time. The film also introduces other comic favorites like Dominique Thorne‘s Riri Williams/Ironhart to the MCU.

Continue reading Ryan Coogler Explains Why Recasting T’Challa in ‘Wakanda Forever Was Never Really An Option at The Playlist.

We are just over a month away from the long-awaited release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Not only is this film the sequel to the billion-dollar-grossing 2018 film, “Black Panther,” but it’s also the first film in the franchise to arrive after the death of Chadwick Boseman. And according to director Ryan Coogler, despite the huge success of the first film, the filmmaker wasn’t sure he wanted to return.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Ryan Coogler Wanted To Quit Filmmaking After Chadwick Boseman’s Death at The Playlist.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is a landmark for several reasons: it’s the final film in MCU‘s Phase 4; it’s Ryan Coogler‘s first movie since the 2018 film; and this sequel doesn’t star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August 2020 when the movie was in development. But Coogler and the “Wakana Forever” cast vowed to make a movie that lives up to the late actor’s legacy.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Tenoch Huerta Confirms His Villain Namor Is A Mutant at The Playlist.

Two programs dominated the first night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards: the CBS special “Adele: One Night Only” and the Disney+ docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back.” Each nominee won five Emmy Awards. They were followed by Netflix’s “Love on the Spectrum (U.S.)” and the “Super Bowl Halftime Show” which took home three Emmys each.

READ MORE: Keenan Thompson to host the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards

History was made in a number of categories.

Continue reading Adele, Barack Obama, and Chadwick Boseman Big Winners At Creative Arts Emmys Night One [Winners List] at The Playlist.

Before “Black Panther” was released, a lot of industry folks weren’t expecting the Marvel Studios film to become one of their landmark films. But after being introduced in “Captain America: Civil War,” Chadwick Boseman’s character was soon treated to a solo adventure helmed by Ryan Coogler. Surprise, surprise: “Black Panther” was a monster hit, earning a massive $1.3 billion at the global box office.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Trailer Teases Namor, Atlantis, Ironheart & More at The Playlist.

With this week’s ninth episode of “What If?” the MCU’s first animated adventure said goodbye to Season 1. But never fear, the multiversal series is set to return for Season 2 soon enough. But what fans probably didn’t know is that there was another animated series that had been in the early stages of development that would have served as a “What If?” spinoff series, but unfortunately, those plans were derailed after the surprising passing of Chadwick Boseman.

Continue reading ‘What If?’ Director Says Star-Lord T’Challa Spinoff Series Was Planned Before Chadwick Boseman’s Death at The Playlist.

In Marvel Studios’ first animated series, “What If…?,” Tony Stark’s critical opening origin moment from “Iron Man” in war-torn Afghanistan is retold. However, instead of being captured and critically wounded when shrapnel embeds into his heart from an explosive device of his own Stark Industries making—a brush with death that leads him to an epiphany about his life as an arms-dealing war profiteer— he is saved and rescued by the militant soldier Erik Killmonger (Michael B.

Continue reading ‘What If…?’: Marvel Remixes MCU Origin Stories From A New, Entertaining Perspective But Needs More Divergence [Review] at The Playlist.

Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler are deep into production on their “Black Panther” sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Yet, even with cameras rolling, we don’t really know much about new additions to the cast besides Tenoch Huerta from “Narcos: Mexico” and the possible aid of “Loki” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther’: Michaela Coel Joins ‘Wakanda Forever’ Sequel at The Playlist.

Released almost 25 years ago, “L.A. Confidential” earned rave reviews and ended up landing 9 Oscar nominations (winning two). The film features an incredible cast and is a great detective noir. And it appears the Oscar-winning writer of the first film, Brian Helgeland, had a great idea for a sequel a few years ago, including some A-list cast members like Chadwick Boseman, but the studio turned him down.

Continue reading ‘L.A. Confidential’ Writer Says Studio Turned Down Sequel That Would Have Starred Chadwick Boseman at The Playlist.

Everyone was heartbroken when the news broke that “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman tragically died of colon cancer. Since that time, there has been a growing curiosity about how Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler plan to move forward with the superhero franchise without the beloved actor and lead character. Marvel brass previously stated publicly that they don’t plan on either recasting Boseman’s role as King T’Challa or morbidly using a digital double of the late actor.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther 2’ Script Underwent Five Different Incarnations According To Angela Bassett at The Playlist.

Though the original “Black Panther” only hit theaters and went on to earn more than $1.34 billion at the global box office in 2018, the three-year gap has felt like an eternity as the world has gone through so much in that time. And in terms of Marvel and “Black Panther,” that includes the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman last year. Well, more than three years later, the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has officially kicked off production, and according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, it’s a film that would have made the late actor proud.

Continue reading Kevin Feige Says ‘Black Panther 2’ Would “Make Chad Proud” As Production On The Sequel Begins at The Playlist.

Continue reading Steven Soderbergh Defends Oscars Decisions: “Actors’ Speeches Tend To Be More Dramatic” at The Playlist.

Unlike many of her other “Black Panther” alums, Lupita Nyong’o has yet to appear in another MCU film other than the original 2018 Oscar-nominated feature. But that said, she’s going to return to the franchise for “Black Panther 2,” though the experience is going to be very different with the loss of the lead actor, Chadwick Boseman. But Nyong’o believes what writer-director Ryan Coogler has in mind for the sequel is the “correct” way to do it.

Continue reading Lupita Nyong’o Says Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther 2’ Is “So Respectful of The Loss We’ve All Experienced” at The Playlist.

One of the most touching traditions at the Oscars is the In Memoriam section of the show. This is where someone goes on stage and introduces a musical montage that showcases some of the film and TV folks that passed away over the past year. But much like everything else about this year’s telecast, the 2021 In Memoriam section, presented by Angela Bassett, was handled differently than in previous years.

Continue reading Oscars 2021: Watch The Fast-Paced In Memoriam Segment Presented By Angela Bassett at The Playlist.

No matter what you think about last night’s Oscars, one thing is for sure—it ended in a very peculiar way. Typically, the show ends on the Best Picture award, which is the biggest of the night. Last night, however, it ended on Best Actor, presumably because the producers thought maybe there would be a Chadwick Boseman win. Alas, that wasn’t to be, as Anthony Hopkins took home the win…though he actually didn’t take home anything.

Continue reading Anthony Hopkins Pays Tribute To Chadwick Boseman In His Belated Oscars Acceptance Speech at The Playlist.

Well, that was weird. 

Oscar night felt a bit like an off-brand version of an Oscar night – and not in a bad way (at least until the end). But there were times when the rehearsal-dinner vibe was impossible to ignore, especially at the end when it felt like ringmaster Steven Soderbergh handed the reins to Luis Buñuel, everyone was getting a little tetchy and impatient, the cake course was served before the entree and when it was time for Gramps’ speech he’d already gone to bed – possibly embarrassed by Mamaw’s twerking.

Continue reading The Snubs And Surprises Of The 2021 Oscars at The Playlist.

It was an Oscars ceremony unlike any other, but even the stripped-down version of the 2021 Academy Awards had its share of highlights and lowlights. Here’s our list of the best (and worst) moments – and yes, Daniel Kaluuya talking about his parents having sex made the list. How could it not?

READ MORE: Oscars 2021 Full Winners List: ‘Nomadland’ Wins Best Picture, ‘Sound Of Metal,’ Anthony Hopkins & More

Anyways, let’s start things off with the only Oscar topic anyone will want to talk about for the next few days.

Continue reading The Best & Worst Of The 2021 Academy Awards at The Playlist.

If Netflix was going to have a golden night this award season it was going to be at the SAG Awards and, surprise, the actors came through. The streaming service took major honors including the Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture for “Trial of the Chicago 7” and “The Crown” won for Drama Series ensemble for the second year in a row. Overall, Netflix won 7 SAG Awards categories announced during the pre-tapped ceremony.

Continue reading ‘Trial Of The Chicago 7,’ ‘Schitt’s Creek’ & ‘The Crown’ Top Historic 2021 SAG Awards at The Playlist.

Last August, the world was shocked to learn that Chadwick Boseman passed away due to cancer. The shock came from the fact that the actor had not told anyone outside of his family about his diagnosis. And not only was it a huge personal loss for filmmaker Ryan Coogler, as he was a close friend of Boseman, it also meant that the work he was doing for “Black Panther 2” had to be completely redone.

Continue reading Ryan Coogler Explains Decision To Stay On ‘Black Panther 2’: “It Would Be Harder For Me To Stop” at The Playlist.

Six months after Chadwick Boseman‘s passing, director Ryan Coogler opened up about how the actor’s death affected him not only personally, but also the huge challenges of reworking the script to “Black Panther 2” without him.

READ MORE: ‘Black Panther’: Angela Bassett Says Chadwick Boseman Is “Completely Irreplaceable” In The Marvel Franchise

In a recent interview on the Jemele Hill Is Unbothered podcast, Coogler opened up about dealing with the loss of Boseman.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther 2’: Ryan Coogler Says Writing Without Chadwick Boseman “Hurts And Stings, But It’s Also Motivating” at The Playlist.

This was probably not the Golden Globes ceremony that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Dick Clark Productions, and NBC were dreaming of just weeks ago. And, no, we’re not even referring to the controversy over the HFPA’s lack of Black membership or questionable practices within the organization itself (which was mentioned numerous times by the hosts, nominees, and winners). No, despite the fact we’re almost 12 months into television programs having to use multiple zoom interfaces to pull of interviews or remotes due to the COVD-19 pandemic the Globes telecast started off with more embarrassing gaffes than you’d catch in a local high school homeroom newscast.

Continue reading Best and Worst of the 2021 Golden Globes: Chadwick Boseman Win, Kids Crashing the Zoom & Tech Issues at The Playlist.

It’s that time of year again—where the biggest names in Hollywood get all glammed up, gather in front of their webcams, and wait for their Zoom meeting to begin so they can find out who won this year’s Golden Globes. With COVID-19 still a major issue in the US and around the world, this year’s 78th Annual Golden Globes Awards did things a bit differently, as the ceremony was mostly a digital affair but with some familiar elements.

Continue reading Golden Globes 2021 Full Winners List: ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Queen’s Gambit,’ Chadwick Boseman & More at The Playlist.

Some years it’s great being a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press. Your organization gives millions of dollars away to charitable causes and everyone wants to come to your parties at the Beverly Hilton. Other years, journalists uncover some “unsavory” details about the group of just 80+ voting members and, well, all that public relations work goes down the drain. The 2021 Golden Globes, delayed because of the pandemic, are shaping up to land in the latter category.

Continue reading Golden Globes 2021 Predictions: ‘Trial Of The Chicago 7,’ ‘The Crown,’ ‘Hamilton’ & More at The Playlist.