It's been four years since the release of Marvel Studios' Black Panther in February 2018 when the late Chadwick Boseman shocked the world as the king of Wakanda. Since the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman shortly after the first film's release, production has been slow but is set for release in November 2022. With the main character and primary attraction of the movie now gone, one can only imagine the difficulty in maintaining a gripping story and keeping the interest of the fans. Recognizing the great challenge they face in bringing the saga, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to life, they persevere but are met with many obstacles along the way.
Amid other hurdles, the director of the film, Ryan Coogler, was tasked with developing an entirely different storyline for the movie's sequel. Hoping to get back on track, the cast and crew were scheduled to resume filming in Atlanta. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the highly contagious omicron variant of Covid-19 spread rapidly through production sets and entertainment workplaces. Among the projects affected was Star Trek: Picanto which paused its production following the positive testing of more than 50 people. In addition, the filming of CBS' NCIS was also discontinued for similar reasons, while the highly anticipated Black Panther saga was once again delayed due to many of the cast testing positive.
This marks the second major delay since production began, the first being in August 2021 when Letitia Wright suffered minor injuries while performing a stunt. Since then, production was temporarily shut down with the intent of restarting in early 2022, which it did. Only to be set back again with the spread of the omicron variant, which affected Lupita Nyong’o.
Despite the setback, most of the cast will reprise their roles in the sequel. It hasn't been confirmed, but it's expected that Michael B. Jordan will return as Erik Killmonger. Angela Basset is also said to be reprised as Ramonda, Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Martin Freeman as Evertt K. Ross.
In an interview last year with the producer, Nate Moore, he explained that he won't be exploring the idea of using a digital double to recast Chadwick Boseman's main character, T'Challa (Black Panther), as a way of honoring the sudden death of the beloved star. However, among some of the new faces set to be introduced in the saga are Dominique Thorn as Ironheart, who is known for her superior intelligence to Ironman. Michaela Coel will also be making her appearance as Aneka, a combat instructor.
Although key characters will be missing in the Wakandian sequel, fans are assured that the delays will be worth the wait for November 2022.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Koimoi
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