According to a new report, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is on track to become one of the longest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to Canada-based theater chain Cineplex, the Ryan Coogler-directed sequel boasts a 2-hour, 41-minute runtime, putting it in the running to become the lengthiest entry in Marvel Studios' Phase Four and the second-longest film in the MCU overall. If correct, the only movie in the franchise that sports a long runtime is Avengers: Endgame, which is just over three hours. The length was corroborated by a listing on Regal Movies, which spotlights the same runtime for Wakanda Forever.
Despite the corroborating reports, fans should still take Wakanda Forever's runtime with a grain of salt. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was initially rumored to be as long as 2 hours and 28 minutes while the film ultimately came in 22 minutes shorter than that. It should be noted that the original Cineplex posting was disabled for a time so it remains possible that the ultimate runtime for Wakanda Forever could prove inaccurate. At the time of writing, the website is back online.
Wakanda Forever and Ever
As a capstone to Marvel's Phase Four, Wakanda Forever is expected to feature several major plot points. Coogler's sequel will introduce Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his aquatic nation of Talocan to the MCU, which is drawn into a conflict with Wakanda through a critical decision made at the end of 2018's Black Panther. "That decision puts Talocan in jeopardy," Huerta says. "And Talocan has to take action to protect themselves." The official synopsis released by Marvel states that "[Wakanda fights] to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death."
Wakanda Forever will also touch on the ultimate fate of T'Challa and in some way pay tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman before addressing the geopolitical quagmire left in the wake of the character's passing. With Shuri (Letitia Wright) set up as the franchise's focal character, she will navigate the growing conflict between Talocan and Wakanda alongside Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), her Queen Mother Ramonda (Angela Basset), and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), who also makes her official MCU debut in the film.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters Nov. 11, 2022.
Source: Cineplex