One of Marvel Studios’ most highly anticipated films, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is back to filming with star Letitia Wright.
“Filming resumed this month as planned and we’re on schedule,” Wright’s spokesperson told BBC News.
The movie has suffered multiple setbacks, beginning with the death of leading man Chadwick Boseman in 2020, then it was dogged by rumors of strife on set with Wright, followed by the actress’ injury during a stunt, which led to production being suspended.
As previously reported by The Root, Wright was expected to return to set in January
“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,” a representative for the actor said in a statement in November.
Marvel Studios suspended production in November, with execs Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito and Nate Moore sending out a memo explaining the situation to cast and crew.
“Running a production of this scale in the midst of a pandemic is not an easy task, and you have remained diligent and professional throughout. In addition, as you are all aware, Letitia had a frightening accident on our set during a stunt back in August. It was a reminder of the importance of safety at all times in our work, which we know you understand and are committed to. What we had initially thought were minor injuries turned out to be much more serious with Letitia suffering a critical shoulder fracture, and a concussion with severe side effects. It has been a painful process and Letitia has been home recovering with her doctors and the support of family.”
“We’ve adjusted our production schedule so she has the time she needs to heal, but there’s only so much we can do without Shuri!”
“We also want to thank Letitia for everything she’s doing to get back to the set - we know how much she loves this role, how tough it’s been for her to be away, and how hard she’s working to recover as quickly as she safely can.”
Wright was reportedly injured during an overnight stunt rig accident.
The last time we saw Shuri, she, T’Challa and Ramonda were celebrating in Wakanda at the end of Avengers: Endgame. The loss of T’Challa opens up a lot of questions about who will take over the mantle of Black Panther. While Shuri does become the Black Panther in the comics, her character in the films seems more interested in continuing her scientific work.
It’s also been established that the world changed drastically during the blip. We saw Okoye with more responsibility in Avengers: Infinity War, so there’s a lot we need to know about the state of Wakanda.
We’ll have to wait until Nov. 11 for those answers, when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever starring Wright, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett is scheduled for release.