Production of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been an emotional roller coaster for everyone involved. For star Letitia Wright, things have been particularly tough as she was injured on set and found herself under increased internet scrutiny. While attending the Kering’s Women in Motion dinner at the Cannes Film Festival she spoke to Variety about how the cast supported one another and honored late leading man Chadwick Boseman.
“We honored him by committing ourselves to the story he started, the legacy he started with this franchise,” Wright said. “And we just committed every day to working hard no matter what circumstances we faced—and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations. We came together as a team and we poured everything into this movie, so I’m excited for you to see it.”
Wright returns in the sequel as Shuri, and while nothing has been confirmed or denied by Marvel Studios, it is expected she will take a bigger role in the follow up. With more eyes on her, Wright came under fire for rumors that she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine and was spreading anti-vax ideas on set. In response, the actress left social media for a while. She says that time taught her to believe in her talent.
“I’ve learned that in life you just have to keep going strong with what you believe in, in terms of your talent, in terms of your desire to impact the world with your art,” she said. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m so proud of myself and the movie that’s coming out this year.”
Obviously, we have no idea what to expect from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but we imagine some of it may deal with a new hero taking on the mantle. Whether it’s Shuri, M’Baku, a Killmonger variant or Okoye is anyone’s guess. The last time we were in Wakanda was at the end of Avengers: Endgame when everyone was celebrating their loved ones return. Like the rest of the galaxy, Wakanda surely underwent changes during the Blip, so it will be interesting to see where things stand.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled to hit theaters Nov. 11.