Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Filming Delay May Cause Another Problem for Marvel

The sequel to 2018’s Black Panther may find itself with another delay, with the cause possibly due to the vaccination status of star Letitia Wright. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will reportedly shut down production temporarily, in response to the injury sustained by Wright in August during a stunt sequence. Wright reportedly left the Atlanta production to nurse her injury back in London, but a recent change to the CDC’s guidelines, along with Wright’s reported vaccination status, could delay Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s production even further.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Shuri actor Letitia Wright is reportedly not vaccinated, which means she would hit a roadblock returning to the United States to continue filming the Black Panther sequel. This week, the CDC issued a new mandate that all non-immigrant, non-citizen visitors to the U.S. must be fully vaccinated. Also, proof of vaccination is required before a passenger is allowed to board a plane to the states. The Guyanese-born Wright is not a U.S. citizen, and if the reports of not being vaccinated are true, then that raises a number of questions on how Wright will be able to continue filming her U.S.-based scenes.

Letitia Wright found herself in controversy back in 2020 when she tweeted (then deleted) a video featuring anti-vax and transphobic rhetoric. The star released a statement apologizing for her tweet: “My intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies.”

After the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, fans have speculated on what his absence means for the Black Panther mantle in the sequel. Naturally, all eyes have turned towards Shuri to become the new Black Panther of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is also precedence in the comics for Shuri being a Black Panther as well.

Marvel Studios has promised to do right by Chadwick Boseman’s legacy. Producer Nate Moore was a recent guest on ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero podcast, where he discussed this very subject. “I think this movie has different sort of pressure on it, obviously, with the loss of Chadwick, which was unexpected and unprecedented in a way narratively, to figure out how to deal with,” Moore admitted. “So beyond, ‘Hey, we want to make a big, fun time,’ and people of the first movie, it’s how do we sort of do right by his legacy and tell a story that isn’t exploitative, which we would never, ever do, but builds on the things that he loved about the property and builds on the things that he brought to the property in a way that is enjoyable, feels real, feels earned, feels organic. Because I think we’re going to see the movie in two lenses, pure entertainment, but also cathartic. And we have to be conscious of both of those lenses as we’re making it.”

Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a new release date of November 11, 2022.