The hype for Black Panther 2 just went into overdrive. Marvel released the trailer for the highly-anticipated sequel to 2018’s Oscar-nominated Black Panther on July 23 during Marvel’s Comic-Con panel. The movie, officially titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, features the returns of Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Letitia Wright as Shuri, who all face a new world in the aftermath of T’Challa’s death.
Most of the trailer doesn’t have any dialogue, but the footage is full of emotion. Shuri can be seen crying. Ramonda remains resolute in the face of pain. “I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone! Have I not given everything?” Ramonda asks in the trailer. The final moments of the trailer showcase a new character taking on the Black Panther mantle. While it is likely Shuri, her face is not shown.
Winston Duke and Angela Bassett, who play M’Baku and Ramonda, respectively, are also back fiercely protecting Wakanda. Sadly, there’s no T’Challa, a.k.a the original Black Panther, since star Chadwick Boseman tragically died from colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43.
Black Panther 2 started filming in June 2021 under the leadership of director Ryan Coogler and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. It was previously confirmed that T’Challa wouldn’t be recast in the wake of Chadwick’s death. Lupita told Yahoo in April 2021 that Coogler “reshaped” the film sequel to honor the late actor.
“His idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world,” Lupita explained. “So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.”
In an interview with Deadline in January 2021, Kevin said the goal for Black Panther 2 is “to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.” He added at the time, “Ryan Coogler is working very hard right now on the script with all the respect and love and genius that he has, which gives us great solace, so it was always about furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released four months after Thor: Love and Thunder. The Marvels, the Captain Marvel sequel, will hit theaters just a few months after Wakanda Forever on February 17, 2023. The sequel will hit theaters on November 11, 2022.
