There’s a strong case to be made that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has had the toughest journey to the screen of any MCU movie.
Even after Marvel and director Ryan Coogler were forced to come up with a whole new story following the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, the sequel to the 2018 phenomenon has been plagued by delays and holdups. The last update we had came a week ago, when it was announced filming was finally about to restart after a couple of months off.
However, it now appears the production has hit yet another setback. In a piece outlining the movie industry’s increasing struggles with COVID impacting on film shoots, The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Marvel’s plan to have Black Panther 2 go back before cameras this week has been held up once more due to another outbreak of the virus among the cast and/or crew. Here’s the relevant extract from THR’s article:
“Black Panther restarted production last week in Atlanta, only to get delayed because several cast and crew members including Lupita Nyong’o tested positive for the virus (production was set to restart this week).”
While the initial statement is not new information — Nyong’o publicly announced her positive COVID diagnosis on Twitter earlier this month — the final comment that production “was” supposed to get going this week heavily suggests this is no longer the plan, and work has still yet to resume on the much-anticipated follow-up.
Last week, it was declared that Wakanda Forever remained on target for its scheduled release this fall, but too many more of these delays will no doubt call that into question.
These COVID-related shutdowns aren’t even the only problems BP2 has faced. Star Letitia Wright, who will have a bigger role this time as genius princess Shuri, was out of action for months after sustaining a serious injury on set. What’s more, Wright’s alleged anti-vaxx beliefs reportedly caused problems with Disney’s compulsory vaccination policy. This difference of opinion is believed to have been settled at this point, though.
As things stand, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is on course to arrive in theaters on November 11.
