Lupita Nyong’o reflected on filming the Black Panther sequel without their King T’challa, played by Chadwick Boseman. On Saturday (July 23), during San Diego Comic-Con, the 39-year-old actress told The Hollywood Reporter the cast is still “processing” Boseman’s untimely passing.
She told the outlet, “For us as a cast, having lost our king, Chadwick Boseman, that was a lot to process, and in many ways, we’re still processing it. When you lose someone, I don’t know when you stop missing them. And of course, we felt it so much, making this film without him.”
Nyong’o described the creation of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as a “a powerful statement unto itself” because it was completed “against all odds” and despite it being “a doozy of a few years for everybody.” She said, “It was very therapeutic. It restored a sense of hope for me in making it, and I think we’ve expanded the world of Wakanda in ways that will blow people’s minds — not just Wakanda, but the Black Panther world. It’s gonna blow people’s minds, and I just cannot wait until it’s not a secret anymore.” Nyong’o’s costar, Danai Gurira, explained that she “never knew when it was just gonna be a really hard day.”
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige appeared at Comic-Con on Saturday alongside director Ryan Coogler and cast members Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta and Florence Kasumba. They unveiled the first look at the highly anticipated sequel and Twitter was not okay! The film’s synopsis states the Wakandans “must fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As [they] strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.” Check out the trailer below: