Without saying too much, Marvel Studios has revealed the first synopsis for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which gives us an idea of what the sequel will explore. Marvel revealed a whole lot of information about its upcoming Phase 4 MCU slate earlier this week, including the official title for Black Panther 2, as well as release dates, new titles and more. As a result, the brief synopsis for the highly-anticipated sequel sort of got lost in the flow of information.
Marvel Studio promises that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will, “continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda.” Marvel also goes onto reiterate that the movie will focus on the characters that surrounded T’Challa in the first movie, giving “all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film” more to do in the sequel. The sequel is written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who was behind Black Panther. MCU fans will get to return to Wakanda when Black Panther 2 is released on July 8, 2022.
RELATED: Official Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever Synopsis Arrives from Marvel Studios
Admittedly, that is not much to go on. Unfortunately, Chadwick Boseman passed away last year following a long battle with colon cancer. The actor had played T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with Captain America: Civil War, leading into the first Black Panther. Boseman also appeared in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It has already been confirmed that the role will not be recast. Instead, it is expected that another character within the universe will take up the mantle.
As far as the logline goes, it merely confirms that we will be further exploring Wakanda, while catching up with the characters we were introduced to in the first movie. It does not, however, explain how they will deal with T’Challa. One has to imagine that will be a major element of the plot. Whether or not they kill off the character in the MCU, or explain his absence in some other way, remains to be seen. Ryan Coogler, who helmed the first movie, is returning to the director’s chair.
Black Panther, released in 2018, was set up as a guaranteed success. The MCU was a proven entity at that point and the character was set up perfectly in Civil War, which became the biggest movie at the global box office in 2016. But it was hard to imagine just how big of a success it would end up being. The movie was met with near-universal praise from critics upon arrival, paving the way for a record-breaking run at the box office. All told, the movie earned $1.34 billion. It also went on to earn a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, a first for a superhero movie.
While it remains to be seen who will take up the mantle, there are several options. The odds-on favorite seems to be Shuri, T’Challa’s sister, played by Letitia Wright. Other options include Winston Duke’s M’Baku, Danai Gurira’s Okoye and Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia. Michael B. Jordan, however, has mostly ruled out a return as Erik Killmonger in the sequel. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently set to hit theaters on July 8, 2022, with production expected to begin in the coming months. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news comes to us via Marvel.com.
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