Ryan Coogler Personally Predicted Letitia Wright’s Directorial Debut On Black Panther 2’s Set

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Letitia Wright shared that Ryan Coogler foresaw her directing her first film, Highway to the Moon, while they were working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Wright first played the role of Shuri – a brilliant technologist and T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) sister – in Coogler’s original Black Panther movie, which he both directed and co-wrote.

Letitia Wright returns as Shuri in the sequel to Black Panther, Wakanda Forever. Following the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman and the death of his character, T’Challa, Shuri ultimately becomes the new Black Panther. In addition to reprising her role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film, Wright has expanded her creative work by directing and writing her own short film, Highway to the Moon.

This fantasy drama tells the story of Micah, a young Black man who unexpectedly finds himself in the afterlife. Creator Wright calls it a heartfelt tribute to Black boys, and it’s being considered for an Academy Award in the Best Live Action Short Film category.

Letitia Wright shared in an interview with ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley for Highway to the Moon that she didn’t initially aspire to be a director. She explained that it was Ryan Coogler who inspired and gave her the confidence to explore directing. You can find her exact words below.

To be honest, I hadn’t considered directing before. I really enjoy acting and have always admired directors – it’s a huge responsibility to lead a team and create a vision. I sort of fell into this opportunity. It started when Ryan Coogler, while we were filming Wakanda Forever, unexpectedly told me I’d be directing someday, which surprised me. Later, when we were finalizing the script, the team turned to me, emphasizing the importance of having a woman direct this film and believing I was the right person to tell this particular story. They wanted to make sure I felt empowered to lead the project and didn’t hand it off to someone else.

I really wanted to challenge myself and overcome my fears, so I made sure I had a strong team around me. I also relied on the knowledge I’d gained from over fifteen years working on film sets – I realized I’d picked up a lot more than I thought! That’s what motivated me to become a director, and now that I’ve tried it, I’m hooked. It’s incredibly demanding, but I’m enjoying learning the craft, both through film school at NFTS and by continuing to make films.

Wright admits she’s anxious for Coogler to see her short film. She considers him a mentor and someone she’s always deeply admired, even before they began working together – she refers to him as a ‘big brother’ figure.

He actually gave me a playful scolding about that recently while we were at my brother’s Hollywood star unveiling (laughs). It’s funny, even now I still get a little nervous around him – he’s always been like an older brother to me, someone I really admire. I’ve been a fan of his work since ‘Fruitvale Station,’ long before we ever worked together. Ryan is definitely one of my favorite directors, right up there with Lynne Ramsay and Barry Jenkins – they’re just people whose work I really love. So I’m a bit anxious about letting him see my film, he hasn’t seen it yet. I really just wanted to focus on making something and learning through the process. I think I’ll feel more confident showing it to him after I’ve made a few more films, but I know he’d be proud. It’s just that when you admire someone in your field, you’re always self-critical and striving to get better – and we all need to improve, really. But I will show him eventually. I’m sure he’ll reach out and ask to see it soon.

Letitia Wright Shares Personal Inspiration For Her Directorial Debut‘s Dark Story

ScreenRant asked: This story seems very personal to you. Can you tell us how you came up with it, and what message or feeling you hope viewers will be left with after seeing it?

The idea for this project came from thinking about how we deal with grief and tragedy, both for ourselves and for those we love. After being an actress for over fifteen years and working on many meaningful stories, it felt like a natural step. The most important thing was finding the right people to work with and making sure we all stayed focused on a central message: life is precious. This is something I’ve seen firsthand, as a friend of mine lost her brother, and her family is still dealing with that loss and missing him deeply. It’s a difficult process, and we wanted to acknowledge that.

As a film lover, what really resonates with me is when movies remind us how incredibly valuable life is. It’s easy to get caught up in things, but we shouldn’t need a life-altering experience to connect with each other – to feel like we’re all in this together. I think this film really aims to show young people a better way to communicate, to lift each other up with positive words. It breaks my heart to hear about bullying and kids feeling like ending their lives is the only option. That’s something we absolutely have to address. Ultimately, I believe this film wants to leave audiences with a powerful message about cherishing life and the importance of forgiveness.

I was really happy with your last answer – the scene with the affirmations is one of my favorites! I even wrote down some of the lines, like ‘I’m destined for greatness. I’m next up when I step up.’ It’s so powerful to hear those words spoken together as a group. I personally believe in the power of positive affirmations and write them down myself. Since you wrote this story, I was curious if you also practice affirmations in your own life?

I strongly believe in the power of positive affirmations and self-belief – that’s really how I’ve gotten to where I am today, combined with prayer. I’ve observed similar techniques at camps for young boys, where they focused on encouraging each other. I was actually surprised to see how much their natural interactions aligned with what I was trying to convey in the script – it almost felt like they were reading my mind! But they weren’t – they were just genuinely supporting each other. I started incorporating those positive phrases into the script, blending them with ideas I already had. Seeing those young people affirm each other was truly inspiring and reinforced my belief in its power.

ScreenRant shared their daily affirmation: “I attract health, wealth, and prosperity.” They write it down every day as a way to stay positive.

You know, I absolutely adore this particular message. It’s not quite an affirmation, more like a line from the Bible – Psalm 139:14, to be exact: ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ And honestly, when life gets you down and you’re feeling less than your best, holding onto that thought – reminding myself that I am fearfully and wonderfully made – it’s incredibly powerful. It’s a really comforting thing to have in your back pocket.

I was completely captivated by the In-Between – it genuinely felt like stepping into a spiritual realm, almost like the ancestral plane. The way the filmmakers used light and those sweeping, expansive shots of the valleys was incredible. I’m really curious to hear about their original vision for that space – what were they hoping to achieve with its look and feel?

The idea for the film started when I was reflecting on the death of a friend’s brother and wondering what a spiritual afterlife might look like on screen. I drew a lot of inspiration from Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life, particularly how he blended natural imagery – things like volcanoes and the ocean – with dialogue and emotion. I wanted to create a similar sense of vastness and beauty in my own film. That led me to search for locations that felt new and unfamiliar to viewers, places that wouldn’t immediately be recognizable from other films. I especially wanted to create a world that would feel fresh to younger audiences. Ultimately, I aimed to portray an ancestral realm or purgatory using real locations on Earth, enhanced with visual effects to bring it to life.

ScreenRant asked if the creators of Highway to the Moon hoped to turn their short film into a full-length movie, as that’s often the case with many short films.

I’m really proud of my current film, a 25-minute piece that’s deeply personal to me. It’s where I’ve put all the messages I want to share with young Black men. While I plan to make feature films eventually – likely stories set in my home country of Guyana – I also want to continue creating shorts. I’m even thinking of directing my next short film myself and might reach out to Michael B. Jordan for advice on how to do that. I’m looking for projects that will push me creatively. ‘Highway to the Moon’ is a special, self-contained story with a strong message, and everything – the music, visuals, and narrative – works together beautifully. It feels complete as it is, and expanding it into a feature wouldn’t serve the story. It’s a good example of the kind of project I’d like to revisit as a feature someday, but it would be a very different approach.

Highway to the Moon is available to watch on YouTube.

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2025-12-20 20:42