According to director Ryan Coogler, the 'Umbrella' hitmaker is a perfect fit for the upcoming 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' because motherhood is a big theme in the film.
- October 28, 2022
AceShowbiz - Rihanna made Ryan Coogler so happy when she agreed to record the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" soundtrack. The movie's director explains the new mother was the perfect fit because motherhood is a big theme in the Marvel flick.
After the "Wild Thoughts" hitmaker has just confirmed her first song from the soundtrack "Lift Me Up" will arrive on Friday, October 28, Ryan explains how they were "looking for artists who would embody it thematically."
"Rihanna, man, we knew she was at a point in her life as well where she was focusing on different things - focused on business, motherhood, which is a big theme in our film. We were holding out hope that maybe it could work out and boy did it for this song," he added to The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't wait for people to hear it."
The 34-year-old singer gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, with A$AP Rocky in May. The song is also "a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman," the beloved late actor who starred as the titular character, whose real name is T'Challa, in the original 2018 blockbuster.
He was not recast in "Wakanda Forever", however, co-writer and helmer Ryan made sure to keep Chadwick's family and creative contacts in the loop on the re-write. Ryan added, "Chadwick had people who were in his life creatively, as well as family, and we were in close contact with those people, very close specifically with his wife, Simone, and his creative partner Logan Coles."
"We were staying tapped in with them as much as we could, and it gave us the space to create, but obviously we were seeking out their opinion all the time. We're looking forward to sharing it with everybody."
The film hits cinemas on November 11.
