Black Panther Sequel Goes on Production Hiatus, Letitia Wright’s Injuries More Serious Than Initially Realized

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Letitia Wright’s injuries were more extensive than initially believed and it is official that the sequel will postpone production until January. previous reports indicated that filming had been stopped because of her injury, but there is now clarification that the actress had sustained a shoulder fracture and a concussion. Deadline reported on the production hiatus that will stretch until January of 2022. A lot was made of her injuries and how they will affect filming going forward. The ongoing pandemic and other conflicts have led to some shifts in the release calendar for Marvel Studios. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness got moved around, as did Thor: Love and Thunder. But, the one project surrounded by a lot of conversation was the Black Panther sequel. It’s no secret that Chadwick Boseman’s death hangs unspoken over the entire movie. Marvel producer Nate Moore spoke to Comicbook.com’s Phase Zero about building on that legacy.

“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 revealed. “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.”

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige also addressed these shifts in an interview with Variety earlier this year. Some of it is just the nature of production schedules not lining up, but this presents an interesting conundrum for the company.

“It’s production shifts and changes, and because we have so many slots, we can just shift slots,” the Marvel Studios president said. “All the Marvel slots are the same, we’re just shifting when they’re coming out. And yes, Strange [in the Multiverse of Madness] has moved six weeks, so instead of there being three months between Marvel movies, there will be five months between Marvel movies and I think we can all handle that.”

Do you think Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will get moved again? Let us know in the comments!