Filming has started on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, confirms Marvel chief Kevin Feige. The movie has been compelled to proceed without T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman who tragically passed away in August 2020. Following the actor's death, there was much speculation as to how the Black Panther sequel would find its bearings.
Although plot details are currently thin on the ground, the movie promises to honour the legacy of Boseman's T'Challa. "It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Feige said before the Black Widow Global Fan Event in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. “But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud."
Director Ryan Coogler is back behind the camera, having launched the first Black Panther to critical and commercial success. The original movie was lauded for its diversity and expansion of the Marvel mythology, placing characters of colour at the forefront and fashioning a worthy tribute to the original Black Panther character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The movie grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, making it one of the most successful of the Marvel movies, and, atypically for the comic book genre, was recognised with several Oscars wins, including a genre first for Best Original Score (awarded to Ludwig Göransson).
There's been no official word on the Black Panther sequel cast, but it's expected that Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett will all return. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set for release on 8th July 2022.
In the meantime, Marvel's Black Widow arrives on 7th July. Scarlett Johansson's title character gets her long-overdue solo movie and the strong supporting cast includes Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz. Click here to book your tickets for Black Widow.