Production for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever started on Tuesday, June 29, at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta.
Wakanda Forever is the sequel to the $1.34 billion blockbuster Black Panther which came out 2018. Black Panther broke the damaging Hollywood myth that a movie with a predominantly black cast wouldn’t be commercially viable internationally. The film earned seven Academy Award nominations, one being Best Picture which was the first time a superhero movie was recognized for that category.
Black Panther also is Marvel’s highest grossing non-Avengers movie ever, and it won Oscars for score, production design, and costume design.
According to Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, everyone from the original cast is returning for the sequel except for the movie’s main actor Chadwick Boseman who died in August 2020 after a four year fight with colon cancer.
“It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Feige said before a Black Widow Global Fan Event in Los Angeles. “But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We’re going do it in a way that would make Chad proud.”
Ryan Coogler will also be returning to the sequel as director of his own screenplay.
Nothing about the plot has been released yet, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to be released on July 8, 2022.
It is one of twenty-six upcoming titles on Marvel Studios list for theatrical release and streaming on Disney+. This includes a television series set within Wakanda as part of a multi-year deal with Coogler and his Proximity Media.