Following the historic success of 2018’s Black Panther, it wasn’t long before Marvel began work on a sequel, with Ryan Coogler being tapped to return to the director’s chair and pen the script. However, last year, tragedy struck the highly anticipated sequel with the untimely passing of its star, Chadwick Boseman. Although it remains unclear exactly how Black Panther 2 will deal with the loss of its star, returning cast member Lupita Nyong'o detailed how the movie has been “reshaped” to honor the later actor’s legacy.
Nyong'o, who plays T’Challa’s on-and-off love interest Nakia in the MCU, explained to Yahoo Entertainment, “The way which [Coogler] has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world, so it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this.” Coogler confirmed that he’d already begun writing a version of the Black Panther 2 script that featured T’Challa as the lead when the news broke of Boseman’s passing. Despite the grief, Coogler felt it was important to keep working.
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Boseman passed away on August 28 last year at the age of 43 following a secret four-year battle with colon cancer. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed that the role of T’Challa would not be recast and that Boseman would not be recreated using CGI. According to Nyong’o, the focus of Black Panther 2 is carrying on the torch from Boseman and keeping his memory alive while looking into the story’s future: “What I do look forward to is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it.”
Although Nyong’o has often been asked if she’s excited about returning to her Marvel role and making another Black Panther movie, she said that “excitement isn’t the word” to describe her feelings about working on Black Panther 2. Rather, she said that she’s “in a very pensive and meditative state.” She elaborated, “His passing is still extremely raw for me, and I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like to step on set and not have him there... But, at the same time, we have a leader in Ryan, who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well.”
In addition to Nyong’o reprising her role as Nakia, the sequel is confirmed to feature Letitia Wright as Shuri, Angela Bassett as Queen Mother Ramonda, and Winston Duke as M’Baku. All three had also made appearances in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame alongside Boseman. One of the most prominent rumors about how the sequel will handle Boseman’s passing is that T’Challa’s sister Shuri will take on the Black Panther mantle. Narcos: Mexico star Tenoch Huerta was recently reported to be in talks to play a villain in the sequel and while nothing has been confirmed, Michael B. Jordan has expressed a willingness to reprise his role as Killmonger despite the character's death in the first film.
Making a sequel to Black Panther without the involvement of Boseman will undoubtedly be a daunting task, but this project has overwhelming support from across the world and Nyong’o promises Coogler has “some really, really exciting ideas” for the movie. Black Panther 2 is set to begin filming later this summer and the shoot will last for approximately six months.
Black Panther 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 8, 2022.
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Source: Yahoo! Entertainment