Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler has revealed that there is a hidden tribute to Chadwick Boseman in Ryan Coogler’s new film.
Boseman, who starred as King T’Challa in Coogler’s 2018 Marvel blockbuster Black Panther, died of colon cancer in 2020, aged 43.
Released earlier this month, the director’s latest box office hit stars Michael B Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack Moore who return to their hometown to set up a club after a money-making stint in Chicago.
Beachler, who was tasked with bringing Coogler’s vision to life, shared a sketch from her work on the film to social media and explained how the design was a nod to Boseman and the Wakanda Forever crossed-arms salute.
In the drawing, Smoke and Stack’s younger cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) is speaking to his father – a pastor at the village chapel – while church attendees look on.
“Three crosses, Sammy & his Father are The Father, The Son & The Holy Spirit,” Beachler explained on X/Twitter.
“The rough sawn beams the crosses hold are exactly 33 inches apart, the age Jesus died, & the number that represents the end. The crossed beams above are for Chadwick, making the Wakanda Forever gesture.”
Fans commented on the post to say that they could also see similarities between the set and Boseman’s 2018 Met Gala outfit: a white suit adorned with gold crosses.
In a recent interview, Coogler opened up about working on the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, following Boseman’s death, stating that it was a time of “complicated grief”.
“Sometimes, it’s actually a relief having something to do, so you can’t sit in that terrible feeling,” Coogler said of his mixed emotions.
“After we put the movie out, my heart broke almost even more, because I realised all the work had been distracting me from the fact that Chad’s not going to make any more movies.”
Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, but chose not to make the news public. He shot Black Panther and several other projects alongside undergoing surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy.
