The highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 awards darling hasn’t had a conventional path to completion as Ryan Coogler had to deal with the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that the film had to jump through a lot of hoops while honoring the legacy of Boseman, a nigh-impossible task when you consider that the first Black Panther film pulled in $1.3 billion and remains noteworthy as one of the MCU’s best films as well as for its cultural significance. Only audiences can decide if Black Panther 2 lives up to expectations, but now that it’s finished filming, Coogler has more than enough time to do re-shoots and touch things up in post-production. Multiple crew members from the Black Panther sequel such as hairstylist Nikki Wright and cinematographer Autumn Durald have confirmed on their social media accounts that the movie is done filming as of late last week. Their updates come just a short while after Ironheart star, Dominique Thorne, also shared that she’d already finished shooting her scenes.
— Black Panther: Wakanda Forever News (@bpanthernews) March 25, 2022 Initially, there were fears that Marvel Studios would have to delay Black Panther: Wakanda Forever after lead actress, Letitia Wright, was at the center of controversy after accusations of refusing COVID-19 vaccinations, effectively forcing production to come to a stop as the crew had no choice but to wait for restrictions to ease up. However, filming finally resumed earlier this year after Wright healed from her injuries with the cast and crew moving to Puerto Rico, fueling rumors of Tenoch Huerta’s involvement as Namor. Speaking of, Black Panther 2 will reportedly set up Wakanda’s war against Atlantis, ultimately paving the way for Namor the Sub-Mariner’s entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, other details outside of that remain under lock and key. We do know that Winston Drake’s M’Baku will play a more prominent role this time around, with most of the original cast members returning along with a slew of fresh faces. Fans are looking forward to seeing how Coogler will deal with the absence of Chadwick Boseman’s character, King T’Challa, and thrust Wright into the spotlight without forcing things. In the meantime, Marvel fans can keep themselves busy with a stacked lineup of MCU shows and movies coming until July, starting with Moon Knight on March 30 followed by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6.
