Marvel boss Kevin Feige has confirmed that production on the highly-anticipated film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has officially begun. The announcement came ahead of the Black Widow Global Fan Event that took place in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The sequel to the award-winning blockbuster Black Panther will be filming in Atlanta, but the details of the film are still being kept a secret.
It is known so far that most of the actors from the first installment, except Chadwick Boseman of course, will be returning to reprise their roles. At the aforementioned event, Feige did not reveal much about the movie, which wasn’t very surprising, but Variety reports that he did confirm the Black Panther 2 script that they are working on “would make Chad proud.”
Director Ryan Coogler is also returning to take the helm. Having written the screenplay as well, Coogler has seemingly changed the Black Panther 2 plot in a way that honors Boseman’s legacy. It has been confirmed that the role of T’Challa, portrayed wonderfully by Boseman in the first film and the two most recent Avengers flicks, will not be recast and even though it is “very emotional without Chad,” Feige is looking forward to taking fans back to the world of Wakanda.
Black Panther became a cultural phenomenon upon its release. It was the first time a Black superhero was the lead of a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was a huge step in the direction of creating a more diverse universe, something that Stan Lee always envisioned. It was the first MCU film to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards and went on to become the highest-grossing non-Avengers movie in the MCU.
A lot of the credit for the film’s success was given to the cast, especially Boseman. While fans were looking forward to his return as T’Challa in the sequel, Boseman tragically died in August of 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2016 and continued to work through the treatment, which the family later revealed included “countless surgeries and chemotherapy.” The actor secretly struggled with his health, with many of the actors who worked with him during the time confessing that they weren’t even aware of his diagnosis.
With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finally going into production after the tragic event, fans are excited to see what direction the film will go in. A lot of theories have been circulating online ever since it was confirmed that Boseman’s character will not be recast, but Marvel has not acknowledged any of them so far, as they never do. One thing's for sure, there is now a lot of hype surrounding the film, and it will be interesting to see if it lives up to these fan expectations.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to premiere in theaters on July 8, 2022.
Source: Variety