Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has shut down production for the rest of this year to allow Letitia Wright to recover from onset injuries including a fractured shoulder and concussion. Wright was hurt filming a stunt in August and it appears that her injuries were worse than originally believed. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Nate Moore issued a statement to cast and crew to inform them that this sequel won’t resume production until January 2022.
You can read the letter below:
As we wind down for the holidays, we wanted to send a note of thanks and appreciation for the hard work of our entire cast and crew, as well as an update on timing. First and foremost, this project is exceptional and something we know audiences are eager to see. We could not be any more excited to complete this film and share it with the world next year. Thank you for everything you’ve done to get us to this place.
Unfortunately, we’ve not gotten here without a few setbacks. Running a production of this scale in the midst of a pandemic is not an easy task, and you have remained diligent and professional throughout. In addition, as you are all aware, Letitia had a frightening accident on our set during a stunt back in August. It was a reminder of the importance of safety at all times in our work, which we know you understand and are committed to. What we had initially thought were minor injuries turned out to be much more serious with Letitia suffering a critical shoulder fracture, and a concussion with severe side effects. It has been a painful process and Letitia has been home recovering with her doctors and the support of family.
Chadwick Boseman portrayed the Black Panther/T’Challa in numerous Marvel films including the first Black Panther which was released in 2018 and made over $1 billion. Sadly, the actor passed away from colon cancer in 2020. Prior to his death, Boseman recorded his role in the Disney+ animated series What If…?.
All involved with Marvel Studios have stressed that T’Challa will not be recast. That likely means that Wright’s character, Shuri, will play a larger part in Wakanda Forever and might even take over as the new Black Panther, as the character did in the comics. It’s clear that with her sidelined, the film cannot move forward.
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is returning to helm the sequel with a script by Joe Robert Cole. In addition to Wright, Wakanda Forever will co-star Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Dominique Thorne, the latter of whom makes her MCU debut as Riri Williams/Ironheart, who will also star in her own Disney+ series. Michaela Coel has been cast in a mystery role but is believed to be playing a villain.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was scheduled to be released in theaters on November 11, 2022, but we’ll have to see if this delay will change that. Check back for updates!
