UPDATE: New reports suggest Disney+'s Support Team prematurely announced the incorrect release date. The platform has since reportedly updated the page of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to include a streaming launch date of Feb. 1.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is coming in for a Disney+ landing.
As reported by The Direct, the critically acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel will be available to stream on the service on Jan. 20. This follows a successful run at the box office that saw the Ryan Coogler-directed movie managing to accrue $820.1 million worldwide. Wakanda Forever will be the 27th MCU movie accessible on Disney+ and arrives just ahead of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania's theatrical debut.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows the titular fictional nation as it collectively mourns the loss of King T'Challa. Focusing on his loved ones, including Shuri (Letitia Wright), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), the royal family struggles to come to terms with the hero's death while also contending with a looming war against the underwater nation of Talokan. Led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the undersea empire wishes to fight back against the surface after it learns of a device that can detect its coveted source of Vibranium.
Wakanda Forever earned largely positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised its compelling performances, emotional writing and detailed world-building. Despite this, many felt the sequel was bloated with an unfocused story that attempted to juggle too many threads. The movie's creative team has expressed that the narrative's goal was to advance the MCU while also paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa, following the actor's tragic death in 2020.
After Boseman's passing, many fans lobbied Marvel Studios to recast the role to ensure T'Challa lived on in future movies. While many online campaigns garnered plenty of attention, Wakanda Forever opted for a new character to take over the mantle of the Black Panther. With Shuri stepping in to fill the shoes of her brother, Coogler explained that the decision was influenced by Boseman. "I was looking at that and I remembered the conversations Chadwick and I would have about Letitia all the way back when we were doing chemistry reads with actresses," Coogler said. "He really responded to her. And I realized that maybe we could build a film around her character since that was his favorite character."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives on Disney+ on Jan. 20.
Source: The Direct