SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Director of 2022's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Ryan Coogler said reuniting with familiar faces after so much time between the original film's release was really heartwarming.
He spoke with ABC10's Mark S. Allen ahead of the film's weekend release.
"It's nothing like the opportunity to reconnect with people after so much time has changed," said Coogler. "A lot happened since we reached the last film. You had the pandemic—all types of different things that transpired personally, interpersonally as a society."
Actor Winston Duke reprises his role as M'Baku in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
He also spoke with our Mark S. Allen ahead of the film's release, and said Coogler relies on the collective, artistic conscience for his directorial work.
"Ryan created such a safe space on set to just do your best work," said Duke.
Coogler, a graduate of Sacramento State University, made his feature-length film debut in 2013 with "Fruitvale Station" starring Michael B. Jordan in his breakthrough film role.
