Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Black Panther. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the sequel to "Black Panther" (2018) and the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is being directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, and stars Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Dominique Thorne. Ideas for a sequel began after the release of  Black Panther in February 2018. Coogler negotiated to return as director in the following months, and Marvel Studios officially confirmed the sequel's development in mid-2019. Plans for the film changed in August 2020 when "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer, with Marvel choosing not to recast his role of T'Challa. Other main cast members from the first film were confirmed to return by that November, and the title was announced in May 2021. Production initially took place from late June to early November 2021, in Atlanta and Brunswick, Georgia, as well as around Massachusetts, before a  hiatus to allow Wright to recover from an injury sustained during filming. Production resumed by mid-January 2022 and wrapped in late March in Puerto Rico. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 11, 2022, as part of of the MCU. Additionally, Isaach de Bankolé, Dorothy Steel, and Danny Sapani reprise their roles as the Wakandan River Tribe, Merchant Tribe, and Border Tribe elders, respectively. Michaela Coel has been cast in an undisclosed role. Production. Development. With the release of "Black Panther" in February 2018, producer Kevin Feige said there were "many , many stories" to tell about the character, and he wanted director and co-writer Ryan Coogler to return for any sequel; Marvel Studios wanted to keep the creative team as intact as possible, while Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn, despite feeling it was too early to discuss a sequel, was also positive about the desire to have Coogler return as director. Coogler wanted to see how Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa / Black Panther would grow as a king in future films, since his reign only recently began in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in contrast to the comics in  which he had been king since childhood. In March 2018, Feige said there was nothing specific to reveal about a sequel, but Marvel had ideas and a "pretty solid direction" on where they wanted to take a second film. That month, Boseman's agent Michael Greene was in negotiations for the actor to return as T'Challa in two planned "Black Panther" sequels for a reported pay of $10 million and $20 million, respectively. By October, Coogler had closed a deal to write and direct a sequel to "Black Panther". Despite both Marvel and Coogler having always intended to  work together again after the first film's success, Coogler avoided rushing into a deal. Negotiations with Coogler were completed "under the radar" in the months following the first film's release. He was expected to begin writing the sequel in 2019, ahead of a planned filming start in late 2019 or early 2020. In November 2018, Letitia Wright was confirmed to be reprising her role of T'Challa's sister Shuri for the sequel. When Angela Bassett, who played Ramonda in "Black Panther", was asked if the main cast would return for the sequel, her husband Courtney B. Vance said  they would. He said this included Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, who was killed in the first film, and Bassett agreed. Feige dismissed Vance's statement in June 2019 as "pure rumor", saying there were no set plans for the film as Coogler had just begun outlining it and had not yet shared his plans with Feige or co-producer Nate Moore. The next month, John Kani expressed interest in reprising his role as T'Challa's father T'Chaka in the film, and Danai Gurira stated that Coogler had confirmed she would be reprising her role of Okoye in the sequel . Feige confirmed the sequel's development at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, while Martin Freeman confirmed in August that he would reprise his role as Everett K. Ross in the sequel. A release date of May 6, 2022, was announced at D23 along with the placeholder title "Black Panther II". Feige said Coogler had completed a script treatment for the film that included a villain and new title. At the end of 2019, Ruth E. Carter confirmed that she would be returning from the first film as costume designer for the sequel, and said that she was set to  begin work on it in "the fall". Feige, Boseman, and Coogler discussed adapting elements of Boseman's more "Gung ho" T'Challa performance in the second episode of "What If...?" for the film. On August 28, 2020, Boseman died from colon cancer. Coogler stated that he had been unaware of Boseman's illness, and had spent the last year "preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say [in the film] that we weren't destined to see". Feige and other executives at Marvel Studios were also unaware of Boseman's illness. Boseman, who had become thinner from his illness in  the weeks prior to his death, had been prepared to begin gaining the weight back in September 2020 ahead of filming the sequel in March 2021. According to "The Hollywood Reporter", industry observers felt Disney could recast the role, but that might generate a "fan outcry" and prompt comparisons between actors. Another suggestion was for Disney to shift their plans and have Shuri take on the mantle of the Black Panther, which occurred in the comic books. By the time of Boseman's death, Coogler was in the middle of writing the script and had already turned in a draft . In mid-November, executive producer Victoria Alonso said a digital double of Boseman would not be created for the film, and added that Marvel was taking their time to work out what they were going to do next and how. Later in the month, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Bassett were confirmed to be reprising their roles for the sequel as Nakia, M'Baku, and Ramonda, respectively, while Tenoch Huerta was in talks for an antagonist role. At that time, filming was expected to begin in June or July 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. In December 2020, Feige confirmed that the role  of T'Challa would not be recast, and said the sequel would explore the world and characters of the first film as a way to honor the legacy that Boseman helped build. The film's release date was moved back to July 8, 2022. By the end of the month, Boseman's makeup designer Siân Richards was set to return for the sequel, while his personal costumer Craig Anthony said he would not commit to the film due to Boseman's death. Hair designer Deidra Dixon was unsure if she would return following Boseman's death, as well as the death  of her sister. Feige reaffirmed in January 2021 that visual effects would not be used to include Boseman in the film, and said the primary focus of the sequel was always about further exploring the characters and "different subcultures" of Wakanda. That same month, Jordan said he was willing to reprise his role as Killmonger as he felt returning to the MCU would "always be on the table in some capacity" due to his love for the character and for working with Coogler. In February, Daniel Kaluuya said he was unsure if he would reprise his role of W'Kabi. Pre -production. In March 2021, Nyong'o said the sequel would be different from the first film and expressed excitement for Coogler's plans. She reiterated that everyone involved with the film was dedicated to continuing Boseman's legacy. Coogler said he was still writing the script, and described working on the film without Boseman as the hardest thing he had ever done in his career. He added that Boseman had held together the first film, and now as the director he was the one trying to keep it going. Freeman said he would soon meet with Coogler to discuss the project . In April, Coogler wrote an op-ed in which he said the film would still shoot in Georgia despite the state passing its controversial Election Integrity Act of 2021 law. Though Coogler did not support the bill, he felt that boycotting film production in the state would have a negative effect on the people who otherwise would have been employed by the film. He instead planned to raise awareness of how to overturn the bill. Nyong'o later said that Coogler had reshaped his ideas for the film to respect Boseman, which she felt was "spiritually and emotionally correct" to do . In May 2021, Marvel Studios revealed the film's title as "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", which Ethan Anderton of "/Film" believed was a fitting tribute to Boseman since "Wakanda Forever" is the battle cry of the Wakandans. By the end of that month, Freeman said he had read the script and expressed excitement for it. At the end of June, Edgar Luna, the business development manager of Worcester, Massachusetts's Economic Development Office, said the technical department of "Wakanda Forever" was in the city the week of June 25 to scout and inspect filming locations, including at the Worcester Police  Department headquarters. Filming. Production started at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 29, 2021, under the working title "Summer Break". Prior to Boseman's death, filming had been set to start in March 2021. With the start of filming, Feige announced that "everyone" from the first film was expected to return. Autumn Durald serves as the cinematographer, after doing so on Marvel Studios' Disney+ series "Loki", replacing the first film's cinematographer Rachel Morrison. A long time collaborator of Coogler's, Morrison planned to return for "Wakanda Forever" but was unable to due to a scheduling conflict with her  film "Flint Strong" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bassett said in July that the screenplay was still undergoing changes due to Boseman's death, and had gone through at least five incarnations. She also indicated that the first film's co-writer Joe Robert Cole was contributing to the sequel, which Feige soon confirmed. Michaela Coel joined the cast in an undisclosed role. In August, Isaach de Bankolé was set to reprise his role as the Wakandan River Tribe elder, and Dominique Thorne began filming scenes for "Wakanda Forever" as Riri Williams / Ironheart before starring as that character in the  Disney+ series "Ironheart". Filming that month was expected to take place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and in Worcester, with the production preparing to film a car chase in Worcester by August 18. A chase scene was filmed in the Ernest A. Johnson Tunnel on August 23 and 24. On August 25, Wright was temporarily hospitalized with what were believed to be minor injuries sustained in an accident while filming a stunt in Boston. Wright went to her home in London for recovery in September while filming continued to shoot around her character. Dorothy Steel, who portrayed the  Wakandan Merchant Tribe elder in the first film, died on October 15; she was in the middle of reprising her role for the sequel when she died. In late October, the film's release was delayed to November 11, 2022. The production moved to the Mary Ross Waterfront Park in Brunswick, Georgia by October 22, where filming occurred from October 28 to November 2. Michael Torras, the manager of the Brunswick Landing Marina, said a 300-foot cruise ship would join the production in the following days, and most of the filming occurred on the water. Matthew Hill, Brunswick's  downtown development authority director, said most of the scenes were shot at night. By November 5, filming of the scenes that did not require Wright were completed, before the production went on hiatus on November 19. This was to accommodate Wright's fractured shoulder and a concussion, which were more serious than initially determined, and was not expected to affect the film's release date. The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented new rules on November 8 requiring non-U.S. citizens to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination before travelling to the  country. "The Hollywood Reporter" noted that this could present an issue for Wright's return to filming in Atlanta since she is not a U.S. citizen and was reportedly not vaccinated. In mid-December, "The Hollywood Reporter" confirmed that filming would resume in late January 2022 in Atlanta with Wright involved; Feige, Moore, and executive producer Louis D'Esposito confirmed upon the start of the hiatus that Wright was the film's new lead. Filming resumed by mid-January 2022, with a recovered Wright returning, and was expected to continue for four weeks. Filming was originally scheduled to resume on January  10 but was delayed by a week after cast and crew members, including Nyong'o, tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that Duke had negotiated a pay raise for his return because of his character's expanded role in the sequel. The following month, Nyong'o revealed that Danny Sapani would be reprising his role as the Wakandan Border Tribe elder in the film. Thorne completed filming her scenes by March 13. Shortly after, the production moved to Puerto Rico, where filming officially wrapped on March 24. Post-production. In April 2022, Kaluuya was revealed to be  involved in the film, reprising his role of W'Kabi. Stacy Caballero was also revealed to serve as an assistant costume designer to Carter, after previously working on the MCU film "" (2017). Music. "Black Panther" composer Ludwig Göransson was set to return for the sequel by September 2021. Marketing. The first footage from the film was shown in a sizzle reel of Disney's upcoming films during the studio's presentation at CinemaCon in April 2022. Release. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 11, 2022. It was previously scheduled for May 6  and July 8, 2022. It will be part of of the MCU.