The sequel now has an official title, but Marvel won't recast the T'Challa role originated by the late Chadwick Boseman.
Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman cannot be replaced, but the world of his character will live on. The sequel to 2018's blockbuster hit now has a title. Marvel announced this week that the 2022 film will be called Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever. The movie, with director Ryan Coogler returning, will come to theaters on July 8, 2022, Disney announced in 2020, when it was careful to note that Boseman would be honored, and his role would not be recast.
The release date was already known from prior announcements, but the title is new.
Black Panther 2, opening July 8, 2022, is being written & directed by Ryan Coogler. Honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy & portrayal of T’Challa, @MarvelStudios will not recast the character, but will explore the world of Wakanda & the rich characters introduced in the first film. — Disney (@Disney) December 11, 2020
Timetable updates
Boseman captivated audiences in 2018's Black Panther playing
T'Challa, king and protector of the fictional nation of Wakanda. But unbeknownst to fans, the actor had been diagnosed with colon cancer even before the first film came out, and tragically, he died on Aug. 28, 2020, at 43. For a while after the news, sequel plans were understandably the last thing on the minds of fans.
The summer 2022 date seems like a respectful distance, and it's n
ot yet known how Boseman's loss will be addressed, if at all. It's possible, of course, that the Wakanda stories the studio's tweet mentions come well before T'Challa's time, and thus his absence wouldn't need to be directly confronted.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige didn't say when filming would begin, but an earlier report by The Hollywood Reporter said work on the film is ten
tentatively scheduled to begin in July 2021 in Atlanta and will continue for upwards of six months.
Casting conundrum
Before Boseman's death, the sequel seemed to be assembling a familiar group. Director Ryan Coogler, who also co-wrote the first film's screenplay, was return
ing. Observers were assuming most of the original cast would be back, with Martin Freeman, who plays CIA agent Everett Ross, and Danai Gurira, who plays Okoye, head of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda's all-female special forces, both confirming their return. The Hollywood Reporter has suggested that Narcos: Mexico star Ten
och Huerta may join the cast.
Of course, the sequel cast will depend on the script -- when it takes place, which characters are spotlighted and more. News will surely trickle out as the filming schedule gets closer. But Feige said the second film would continue to explore the characters introduced in the first, so expect to see familiar faces.