Little has been confirmed about “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” but much has been discussed in the rumor mill regarding the sequel to Marvel’s enormous hit, “Black Panther.”
Following the tragic death of star Chadwick Boseman, who passed in Aug. 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer, various members of the “Black Panther” team have spoken about honoring Boseman’s legacy in the second film. His role of T’Challa won’t be recast, and the character will not be digitally re-created.
Letitcia Wright, who became a Marvel breakout with her performance in “Black Planter” as T’Challa’s sister Shuri, is rumored to be taking up the mantle as the sequel’s eponymous superhero. Even if that’s not the case, Marvel fans expect Wright to have a larger part in the next film.
The road to the “Black Panther” sequel’s release has not been without headlines for Wright, who suffered an on-set injury and was the subject of a damaging report alleging that she was sharing anti-vax sentiments on the Atlanta production and that her refusal to get vaccinated was posing problems for Marvel. Wright denied rumors she was touting an anti-vax position on the set, calling the report “about my conduct” on the set “completely untrue.”
Production on “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was shut down for nearly two months after Marvel executives said that Wright sustained a shoulder fracture and a serious concussion on the set.
Now, Wright tells Variety that the “Black Panther” team faced “a lot of circumstances” and “difficult situations,” but that she is excited for fans to see how the sequel will honor Boseman’s legacy.
Speaking on Sunday evening at Kering’s Women in Motion dinner at the Cannes Film Festival, Wright teased “Black Panther 2” and spoke about what she learned throughout the pandemic, though did not address and was not asked by Variety about her vaccination stance. (At Cannes, where Wright is with her film “The Silent Twins,” there are no COVID-19 protocols for vaccination, testing or mask-wearing.)
“It is an incredible honor for Chadwick Boseman, it’s jam packed with exciting stuff,” Wright told Variety.
“We honored him by committing ourselves to the story that he started, the legacy that he started with this franchise,” Wright continued. “And we just committed every day to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced — and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations — but we came together as a team, and we poured everything into this movie, so I’m excited for you to see it.”
When asked what she has learned over the pandemic, as her name became embroiled in headlines and frequently discussed on social media, Wright said she is staying strong in what she believes in.
“I’ve learned that in life, you just have to keep going strong with what you believe in, in terms of your talent, in terms of your desire to impact the world with your art, and that’s exactly what I’m doing and I’m so proud of myself and the movie that’s coming out this year. I’m so proud of it,” Wright said.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be released in U.S. theaters on November 11
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