Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman will always be missed, but the film's upcoming sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, will feature many familiar faces returning. One more has just been confirmed in a behind-the-scenes photo posted by star Lupita Nyong'o.
Nyong'o tweeted three images from the set of Wakanda Forever, each one showing herself posing with four of her co-stars. In addition to Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright, the group shot includes Danny Sapani, who plays the Border Tribe Elder M'Kathu in Black Panther. While the others had previously been confirmed as reprising their respective roles as Nakia, M'Baku, Ramonda and Shuri, Sapani's return had not yet been revealed. "Greetings from Wakanda!" Nyong'o captioned the image. "Happy 4th anniversary to #BlackPanther."
Sapani's role in 2018's Black Panther film was minor, but his character M'Kathu had a high standing as a member of the Wakandan Tribal Council. He represented the Border Tribe during the council's meetings and the coronation ceremony for Boseman's T'Challa, the titular hero and king of the fictional nation of Wakanda. Sapani's presence in the sequel may suggest more involvement from the Tribal Council.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever began filming in Atlanta, GA on June 29, 2021, but production has paused several times since then due to the pandemic. The movie's plot also had to be restructured following Boseman's death in 2020, and although details about the story have not yet been revealed, fans have speculated that one of the existing Wakandan characters will take up the mantle of the Black Panther in T'Challa's place.
Rumors have also been circulating that the film will bring in characters from other Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises or even serve as the on-screen debut for new characters from Marvel Comics, such as the Sub-Mariner, Namor. Additionally, actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus was spotted on a set in Atlanta, indicating that her MCU character the Contessa may make an appearance in Wakanda Forever. Michael B. Jordan is reportedly returning as Killmonger, the antagonistic character who was killed at the end of the first movie, now to serve as a spiritual guide on the Ancestral Plane.
Helmed by returning director Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters Nov. 11, 2022.
Source: Twitter