Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in a tricky spot at the moment. The official story is that star Letitia Wright injured herself on set over the summer, and the shoot has now reached a point where they can’t progress without her, so they’re going to resume in late January.
But multiple sources have alleged this could be a smokescreen concealing an impasse between Wright and Disney around her refusing the COVID vaccine. The truth is as yet unknown, but with production gearing up to restart next month, we should find out more details soon.
In slightly more uplifting news, the soundtrack is coming together nicely. Black Panther had an excellent tie-in album curated by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA, Future, Travis Scott, and Jorja Smith.
Wakanda Forever is looking to follow in those footsteps, with Metro reporting that producers are considering The Weeknd, Solange, Stormzy, Giveon, Brent Faiyaz, and Doja Cat for the new album. Their source says:
“Doja Cat is one of the artists who is in line to perform on the soundtrack because of her South African heritage. The Weeknd, Solange and Stormzy are also being considered as the producers want a wide range of smash hit artists to make this soundtrack bigger than the first.”
The source claims Tory Lanez also was once in the running, though his upcoming trial for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in July 2020 has apparently ruled him out.
Here’s hoping Wakanda Forever gets back on track soon. At one point it was planned to release in May 2022, though the ongoing production nightmare means it’s now coming to theaters on November 11, 2022. If the rumors about Wright prove true and they have to rethink the plot, it may yet even slip into 2023.
More on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as we hear it.
