Marvel Studios is shutting down production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever due to an injury suffered by star Letitia Wright.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wright was hospitalized in August after sustaining injuries while shooting a scene involving a stunt rig. The incident reportedly took place in Boston, MA, where the production was filming at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wright was released from the hospital not long after, and the studio said the injury would not affect production schedules. However, it appears this is no longer the case.
The sequel to Marvel's 2018 mega-hit Black Panther began shooting in June, mostly in Atlanta. Director Ryan Coogler, who also helmed the first installment, has apparently shot all footage possible without Wright. Production is expected to shut down the week of Thanksgiving and resume in early 2022. A representative for Wright said in a statement, "Letitia has been recovering in London since September from injuries sustained on the set of Black Panther 2 and is looking forward to returning to work early 2022. Letitia kindly asks that you keep her in your prayers."
In September, Black Panther costar Angela Bassett assured fans that Wright's injuries were minor and downplayed how they may have affected the actor. "She had a little bit of a fall, but it's not too bad," Bassett said. "You know, anything like that will shake you up, but she's just a little, slight, little petite thing. But she is fine and ready to go." Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore stated in October that production on the film was going smoothly. "We're shooting in Atlanta and it's going really well," he said.
Despite the hiatus, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's release date will reportedly not be affected. Marvel had already announced new release dates for all its 2022-23 features in October, giving Wakanda Forever's crew four more months to finish the film. It was originally set for release on July 8, 2022, and was pushed back to Nov. 11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania were also among the delayed productions.
Wright made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Panther as Shuri, the genius younger sister of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa. The character went on to appear in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, but Wakanda Forever will be her first MCU role following Boseman's untimely death. That said, there's been much speculation that Shuri will assume the mantle of Black Panther in her own right, much like her comic book counterpart.
Source: THR