Production for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever began on Tuesday (June 29) at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Variety reports. Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige said the atmosphere among the cast and director Ryan Coogler is “clearly very emotional” without the franchise’s star Chadwick Boseman, who tragically died last year after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
“It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Feige told Variety on Tuesday. “But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud.”
Feige did not disclose any details about the sequel film’s plot or say which specific actors will be returning from the cast. Variety reports that Black Panther stars Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett are expected to reprise their original roles.
Black Panther became Marvel’s highest-grossing non-Avengers film of all time, earning $1.34 billion worldwide after hitting theatres in 2018. The movie was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won multiple Oscars.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the film’s highly anticipated sequel, is set to air on July 8, 2022. A television series set within the world of Wakanda, which Coogler is also attached to, is also on the way. The show is part of a multi-year deal that the director and his Proximity Media company closed with Disney in February.
“We are especially excited that we will be taking our first leap with Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios where we will be working closely with them on select MCU shows for Disney Plus,” Coogler said at the time. “We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t wait to share.”
On Sunday (June 27), Boseman was posthumously honored with the award for Best Actor at the BET Awards 2021.