Letitia Wright's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Injuries Are Worse Than You Think
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" star Letitia Wright was injured in late August during the filming of a stunt sequence on set in Boston, after an incident with a stunt rig went awry. Initial reports on the accident called Wright's injuries "minor" and emphasized that they wouldn't impact the film's production schedule.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is set to elevate Wright's character Shuri, the Wakandan princess and technological genius, to a lead role in the franchise following the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who played King T'Challa, from colon cancer in 2020. Her increased prominence has also led to controversy after she spoke out against vaccinations last year, especially as many Hollywood productions introduce stricter vaccine mandates to protect against COVID-19.
The injuries Wright incurred on set have kept her out of commission and away from the production for months while she recuperates. On November 5, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that production had continued through September and October without her, but that director Ryan Coogler had finished just about every portion of the film that could be done without Wright.
Now, according to a note written to the film's cast and crew by Marvel Studios honchos Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Nate Moore, obtained by Deadline, the actress' injuries, more serious than initially thought, have forced production on the film to pause until next year.
Wright's injuries push back production but not the film's release date
In the note written by Feige, D'Esposito, and Moore, they admit that Wright was worse off than they'd previously believed. "What we had initially thought were minor injuries turned out to be much more serious with Letitia suffering a critical shoulder fracture, and a concussion with severe side effects," the note read. Because of this, Wright will need more time to recover, with filming expected to resume in January 2022.
More positively, the statement written by Feige and the others appears to indicate that the studio at least is looking forward to Wright's return when filming resumes after the new year. "We also want to thank Letitia for everything she's doing to get back to the set — we know how much she loves this role, how tough it's been for her to be away, and how hard she's working to recover as quickly as she safely can," it read. Deadline reported that Wright also sent her own video message to the production thanking everyone for their efforts and care.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," is currently due in theaters November 11, 2022, and as of right now, Deadline reports that Marvel executives don't believe that it will need to be delayed further due to the injury. "We could not be any more excited to complete this film and share it with the world next year," Feige's note says.