There was a time when it seemed like Marvel was not going to move forward with its Black Panther sequel. After the lead Chadwick Boseman passed away in August 2020, the production slowly began to fall apart. Marvel confirmed that they would not be re-casting Boseman’s role, and with several COVID-related delays, on-set injuries, and vaccine controversies, it seemed like this movie was never going to be finished.
But, somehow, the movie wrapped up earlier this year and will hit theaters in November, following a triumphant trailer with some dazzling special effects and inspiring words from Angela Bassett. The movie will also feature new music from the upcoming Wakanda Forever Prologue, which is now available for pre-order.
Despite all of the bumps in the road, star Lupita Nyong’o called the process of making the highly-anticipated sequel “therapeutic.”
“For us as a cast, having lost our king, Chadwick Boseman, that was a lot to process, and in many ways, we’re still processing it,” Nyong’o told The Hollywood Reporter. “When you lose someone, I don’t know when you stop missing them. And of course, we felt it so much, making this film without him.” The movie also stars Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett as they fight for Wakanda after the death of King T’Challa.
Losing Chadwick Boseman was a lot for the #BlackPanther team to process, @Lupita_Nyongo says: “When you lose someone, I don’t know when you stop missing them” pic.twitter.com/KsWPuwDOum
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 24, 2022
“It was very therapeutic,” the actress added. “It restored a sense of hope for me in making it, and I think we’ve expanded the world of Wakanda in ways that will blow people’s minds — not just Wakanda, but the Black Panther world. It’s gonna blow people’s minds, and I just cannot wait until it’s not a secret anymore.” The trailer also revealed that someone is wearing the Black Panther suit, though the details are of course under wraps. Who could it possibly be? As it turns out, it could literally be anyone.
The secrets of Wakanda will be revealed when the movie drops on November 11th.