Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Just Suffered An Enormous Setback
MCU fans clamoring for their next trip to Wakanda are in for more bad news this week. According to The Hollywood Reporter, production on "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has officially shut down.
The development comes in the wake of series star Letitia Wright's on-set injury in August of this year. Wright, who plays Wakandan royal and resident super genius Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was reportedly hurt while performing a stunt-heavy sequence for the second "Black Panther" movie, though the studio stated at the time that the sequel's shooting schedule would remain unchanged.
Now, it appears that Wright's injuries were more severe than originally stated, with a representative for the actress telling THR that "Letitia has been recovering in London since September from injuries sustained on the set of Black Panther 2 and is looking forward to returning to work early 2022." The statement went on to request that fans keep Wright in their prayers.
Letitia Wright's injury halts Black Panther 2
Per The Hollywood Reporter, shooting has continued on "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" in the wake of Letitia Wright's injury, but production has now run out of sequences that can be filmed without the movie's lead actress. The exact length of the planned hiatus wasn't revealed, though in October, Marvel did announce their decision to push the sequel from its planned July of 2022 release date to November of the same year.
Wright's expanded role in the "Black Panther" sequel comes in the wake of the death of series star Chadwick Boseman in August of 2020. Marvel has been characteristically tight-lipped about the direction in which the franchise will go moving forward, but fan speculation points to the character of Shuri taking up the mantle of the series' eponymous hero.
Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" isn't the only production from Marvel to experience recent setbacks. In an October press release, the studio announced that "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Thor: Love and Thunder" were being pushed further down the release schedule as well.