The story of Wakanda continues at Marvel. President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Fiege, says the filming of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has begun at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta.
Though Ryan Coogler and the majority of the first film’s cast will reprise their roles, a crucial member of the cast will be missing in the second film: the Black Panther himself—the late Chadwick Boseman.
“It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Feige told Variety before the Black Widow Global Fan Event 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.”
Marvel already confirmed they will not digitally reproduce Boseman for the sequel, or seek to replace Boseman as Black Panther. Fiege did not offer any plot details for Wakanda Forever, but it’s reported the film will focus more on the afrofuturistic world of Wakanda. Cast members likely to return from the original film include: Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba, and Angela Bassett.
Following Black Panther’s release in 2018, it instantly became an international hit, breaking numerous box office records and rising to become the highest grossing superhero movie in U.S. history. Shattering the ill-formed thought that Black-fronted films were not commercially viable, it became a pop culture phenomenon. Black Panther remains a standout in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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In addition to Wakanda Forever, Coogler recently signed a deal with Disney+ setting in motion a potential Wakanda-focused series for the streamer. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to premiere in theaters on July 8, 2022.