Filming for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was almost seriously affected by the anti-vaccine controversy surrounding the film's star Letitia Wright.
According to Deadline reporter Justin Knoll, who appeared on the podcast "The Town with Matt Belloni," production on Wakanda Forever was "absolutely disrupted by some of the stuff [Wright did]," particularly her comments about the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. On top of that, when Wright returned to the United Kingdom during production in November 2021, her vaccination status raised questions among executives about "whether she could come back" to set at all, which was "a pain" for Marvel Studios, according to Knoll. At the time, Disney did not address the matter directly.
Wright has portrayed Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2018's Black Panther. The controversy surrounding Wright began in December 2020, when the actor shared a video on her now-deleted Twitter expressing anti-vaccine as well as anti-trans rhetoric. It was also reported that Wright had shared these views on the set of the Black Panther sequel, which she has since denied. "The report spoke about my conduct on the set of Black Panther 2. I honestly assert that this was completely untrue," she said.
Production on Wakanda Forever was suspended in November 2021 after Wright sustained injuries during a stunt. Wright's injury on the set of the Marvel Studios film was first reported in August 2021, which reportedly took place in Boston, MA where the production was shooting scenes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The injuries, which involved a stunt rig, were first stated to be minor, though they led Wright to be hospitalized. It was later revealed that Wright's injuries were worse than originally reported, with the Black Panther star sustaining a fractured shoulder and a concussion during the stunt.
Following her injury, it was reported in November 2021 that Wright's unvaccinated status could lead to further delays in the film's production. However, Wright returned to set in January almost five months later, despite rumors that the actor would be departing the Black Panther sequel and the MCU overall.
Wakanda Forever began filming in Atlanta, GA on June 29, 2021, but production has paused several times since then due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The film serves as a sequel to 2018's Black Panther, which starred the late Boseman as King T'Challa/Black Panther. Wakanda Forever's plot was restructured following Boseman's death in 2020. "It's clearly very emotional without Chad," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said shortly before Wakanda Forever began production. "But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We're going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud."
The Black Panther sequel will see Angela Bassett reprise her role as Queen Ramonda, as well as Letitia Wright as Shuri, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross and Tenoch Huerta as Namor the Sub-Mariner. An official synopsis released by Marvel following the trailer debut revealed that Wakanda Forever will follow these characters as they "fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death." The film also stars Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters Nov. 11, 2022.
Source: The Town with Matt Belloni, via The Direct