In the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death, Marvel Studios quickly redrew their plans for Black Panther 2. The newly titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now set to explore the reactions to T’Challa’s death and the search for his successor.
Shuri is by far the best candidate for the job, and the role would propel Letitia Wright to new heights of stardom. The only problem is that she’s apparently a committed anti-vaxxer and wants everyone to know about it. We got a hint of this back in December 2020 when she shared a controversial video spreading anti-vax misinformation. Wright claimed all she wanted to was to “ask questions”, but subsequently quit social media entirely.
Now a new story in The Hollywood Reporter suggests she’s learned nothing. In an article about COVID vaccine mandates in Hollywood they describe Wright as a “vaccine skeptic”, with a source from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set saying she’s keen to “espouse” anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories about the negative impact of the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone that’ll listen.
The article also notes that she’s “parted ways” with her team of media representatives and you don’t have to read too far between the lines to figure out what’s going on there.
All of which means Wright and Disney may be heading for an impasse. From mid-October, Disney will begin a system requiring anyone that works on their movies to provide visible proof of vaccination status. This won’t affect Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as it’s already shooting, but will apply to anything that begins after that date.
This means that any future appearances as Shuri will require Wright to get vaccinated. If she refuses? Well, Marvel Studios may be on the hunt for their third Black Panther…
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on July 8th, 2022.
