After what must surely be the most troubled production in Marvel history, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set for release in November 2022. This is just a few short months away, but we have seen and heard very little about it so far. It’s not clear who is in the cast, or what the film will be about.
When Chadwick Boseman tragically passed away in 2020, it obviously left a huge hole at the centre of Black Panther. Development on the sequel was probably well under way by this stage, and it would have meant a total script rewrite. All we really know so far is that the decision was made to centre the story around T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright).
Cast members such as Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke (who both starred in Jordan Peele’s Us) may or may not be returning. More likely is Danai Gurira, who popped up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Martin Freeman is definitely in the sequel, but we don’t know much beyond that. Now, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Awards Editor Jacqueline Coley, Daniel Kaluuya is one of the actors who won’t be returning for the sequel.
Coley tweeted; “BREAKING NEWS: Fresh from my Nope interview with Daniel Kaluuya, he did not reprise his role in Black Panther 2 due to his schedule conflicts with Nope! It’s official – he’s not in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Jordan Peele’s Nope is set for release on July 22, 2022 in the US and August 12, 2022 in the UK. Kaluuya won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2021 for Judas and the Black Messiah.
Another factor that caused a big delay in the Black Panther sequel was an injury that Letitia Wright sustained on-set in August 2021. She had a shoulder fracture and concussion. Filming continued without Wright until November, when it could no longer continue without her. Filming resumed with Wright back on set in January 2022.
While we wait for Black Panther 2 to come out, check out our guide to Marvel’s Phase 4.