Black Panther 2: Letitia Wright Says “We’re Just Grieving” After Death of Chadwick Boseman

Letitia Wright says it's difficult to even "think about" doing a Black Panther 2 without Chadwick Boseman, who died in August at the age of 43 following a private four-year battle with colon cancer. As Shuri, the princess of Wakanda and the younger sister of Boseman's King T'Challa, Wright starred opposite Boseman in 2018's Ryan Coogler-directed Black Panther before joining him and other members of Earth's mightiest heroes in Avengers: Infinity War. They would appear together a third time in last year's Avengers: Endgame. Referring to the late actor as "my brother," Wright says the focus now is remembering and celebrating Boseman.

"We're just still mourning Chad, so it's not something I even want to think about," Wright told Net-a-Porter when asked about a Black Panther sequel. "The thought of doing it without him is kinda strange. We're just grieving at the moment, so it's trying to find the light in the midst of it."

In August 2019, Disney and Marvel Studios announced Black Panther II with Coogler directing for May 6, 2022.

Wright previously shared a video eulogy for Boseman on Instagram, remembering him as "my brother" and "an angel on Earth." Black Panther co-stars Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Angela Bassett, who plays T'Challa and Shuri's mother Ramonda, all paid tribute to Boseman across social media.

"I haven't grieved a loss this acute before. I spent the last year preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say, that we weren't destined to see," Coogler wrote in a statement shared in honor of Boseman. "It leaves me broken knowing that I won't be able to watch another close-up of him in the monitor again or walk up to him and ask for another take."

Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige, who once hailed Black Panther as "the best movie we've ever made," called news of Boseman's death "absolutely devastating."

"He was our T'Challa, our Black Panther, and our dear friend," Feige said in a statement remembering the star, who entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. "Each time he stepped on set, he radiated charisma and joy, and each time he appeared on screen, he created something truly indelible."

"He embodied a lot of amazing people in his work, and nobody was better at bringing great men to life. He was as smart and kind and powerful and strong as any person he portrayed. Now he takes his place alongside them as an icon for the ages," Feige continued, adding "the Marvel Studios family deeply mourns his loss."