Shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death was “very therapeutic,” according to Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia in the Marvel Studios franchise.
After the success of the first installment in 2018, it was hard to imagine a reality where the inevitable continuation of the saga didn’t feature Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa. However, when the crushing news of the actor’s passing came in 2020 after a battle with colon cancer, the world of Wakanda had to be forever reinvented.
The trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was revealed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, gave everyone a glimpse into an emotional new beginning for the kingdom where Nyong’o’s Nakia plays a major role.
Fans will get their chance to mourn one of their favorite actors, and one of the most iconic performances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever drops in theaters later this year. For the cast, though, that process happened during filming, as Nyong’o revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“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. 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 actress described the conditions surrounding the production of the film as a “doozy of a few years for everybody,” also accounting for the COVID-related setbacks. With so many obstacles standing in the way of completing the film, for the Oscar-winner, the result is a “powerful statement unto itself.”
“I am very proud that we did it. It was very therapeutic. It restored a sense of hope for me in making it.”
As for what the fans can expect from this reimagining of Wakanda, Nyong’o says the mythos has been “expanded in ways that will blow people’s minds — not just Wakanda but the Black Panther world.” The actress also commented on the possibility of someone else assuming the titular mantle, teasing “Don’t you just love a good secret?.”
After what was surely a challenging and intense production, Nyong’o is eager for the movie to finally be in fans’ possession. “It’s gonna blow people’s minds, and I just cannot wait until it’s not a secret anymore,” she concluded.
It will be hard to match the cultural phenomenon of Black Panther, but if Nyong’o’s words are anything to go by, it seems like the cast and crew of Wakanda Forever left everything they had on that set, in honor of their “king” Chadwick Boseman.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes to theaters worldwide on November 11.
