Even half a year later, the world is still reeling from the sudden tragic passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. From a business perspective, this resulted in a good amount of chaos behind the scenes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe surrounding the production of its planned sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, specifically due to how Boseman was poised to rise even further as lead character King T'Challa. But other aspects of the film are apparently moving along well enough. This was suggested by Black Panther supporting actor Martin Freeman, who seems to have gotten a rundown of how the upcoming sequel is planned out.
Freeman recently appeared on an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, and amid discussions about the actor's other famous projects like BBC's Sherlock, the topic naturally shifted over to the recently title-revealed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Many fans have been curious about the uncertain status of the anticipated follow-up ever since learning that director Ryan Coogler still plans to put it out, and Corden himself clearly counts himself among that legion.
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"There will be another Black Panther movie," Corden said while chatting with Freeman on the show. "Is there anything that you can tell us about that film?" Freeman was quick with a witty response at first, joking that he's written some notes before silently shaking his head and mouthing, "no." But he then got serious and confirmed that he'd had a Zoom call with Coogler about his role in the film and how the general plot would play out in relation to his character.
"He took me through the film, but incorporating my character's beats," Freeman said, before continuing with a laugh, "and some of it was very odd and he could see by the reaction on my face... he kept on saying, 'Stay with me, this is going to work.'" It's clear that Coogler seems to be thinking outside the box for Black Panther 2 and while Freeman himself obviously wasn't at liberty to disclose any specific details, his own reaction to it all is certainly enough to get fans' brains speculating at overclocked speeds.
Freeman's character, CIA Agent Everett Ross, appeared in both Captain America: Civil War and the first Black Panther film. An actual character from the Marvel comics himself, Ross was the one who originally took criminal mastermind and future dancing sensation Helmut Zemo into custody. After that, he found himself aiding T'Challa in taking back his rightful place as King of Wakanda. While not exactly a central character to the story, Ross is important enough that he'll apparently play a rather unexpected role in Wakanda Forever.
The specifics of Wakanda Forever are still anyone's guess, whether it will do something like focusing more on fan-favorite character Okoye or go in an even more unexpected route. But Freeman's tiny look into the process at least proves that the energy behind it all hasn't diminished in the wake of tragedy. Here's hoping the movie ends up as enjoyable as its predecessor, and that it does Boseman's legacy proud.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release on July 8th, 2022.