The world has been in mourning since it was confirmed that Chadwick Boseman died at the age of 43 after being diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago.
Since then, a number of emotional tributes have been shared by co-stars, celebrities, politicians and more, who have all praised the Black Panther star for his fighting spirit and remarkable talent.
Following this, Ryan Coogler — the director and cowriter of Black Panther — released a heartfelt message on Sunday, which touched on his relationship and connection to Boseman.
Describing their first interaction, Coogler said: "I noticed then that Chad was an anomaly. He was calm. Assured. Constantly studying. But also kind, comforting, had the warmest laugh in the world and eyes that [saw] much beyond his years, but could still sparkle like a child seeing something for the first time."
He continued, "That was the first of many conversations. He was a special person. We would often speak about heritage and what it means to be African."
"When preparing for the filming, he would ponder every decision, every choice, not just for how it would reflect on himself, but how those choices would reverberate. 'They are not ready for this, what we are doing...' 'This is Star Wars, this is Lord Of the Rings, but for us... and bigger!"
Coogler also went on to mention that Boseman advocated for his character T'Challa to speak with an African accent, with Xhosa later becoming the language of Wakanda in Black Panther.
And that he played an important role by discussing lines and different ways to add depth to scenes in Black Panther.
One example Coogler gave was the burial of Erik Killmonger's character. In the movie, Killmonger — who is played by Michael B. Jordan — says, "Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage."
But, Coogler reveals that in early drafts of the script, Killmonger's character would have asked T'Challa to bury him in Wakanda instead. It was Boseman who challenged this and asked, "What if Killmonger asked to be buried somewhere else?"
Coogler ended his moving tribute by acknowledging that although Boseman was gone and that he felt broken, he knows "that he will watch over us, until we meet again".
RIP Chadwick Boseman and thank you for your incredible contributions to Black Panther and the entire film industry.
And you can read Coogler's full statement here.