Lupita Nyong’o Tests Positive for COVID-19, Bows out of Press for Upcoming Film The 355

‘Please do all you can to keep yourself and others protected from serious illness,’ Nyong’o wrote.

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 Lupita Nyong’o at the Montecito Award Honoring Lupita Nyong’o during the 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festiva on January 20, 2020 in Santa Barbara, California.
Lupita Nyong’o at the Montecito Award Honoring Lupita Nyong’o during the 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festiva on January 20, 2020 in Santa Barbara, California.
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer for SBIFF (Getty Images)

Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o is now unfortunately the latest celebrity to test positive for COVID-19.

Per Deadline, Nyong’o, who was currently in the middle of a press run for her upcoming film The 355, announced she tested positive for the virus and has subsequently dropped out of remaining virtual press for the time being.

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“I too have tested positive for COVID-19,” she wrote in a tweet after learning the news. “I’m fully vaccinated and taking care in isolation, so I trust I will be well. Please do all you can to keep yourself and others protected from serious illness. #StayMaskedAndVaxxed.”

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Per the film’s official synopsis, The 355 tells the story of “when a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie, former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadija (Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng, who is tracking their every move. As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world—or get them killed.”

In addition to the aforementioned film, Nyong’o is also set to reprise her role as Nakia in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As previously reported by The Root, the forthcoming film has been mired with speculation on just how and if the franchise can move forward in a way that both honors the legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman and the original comic storylines. Production for Black Panther 2 also went on a brief hiatus back in November in order to allow star Letitia Wright time to recover from onset injuries she sustained two months prior. Production is set to resume some time this month.

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The 355 hits theaters this Friday, Jan. 7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to release Friday, Nov. 11.