Production for the highly-anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will halt temporarily while the lead actress Letitia Wright recovers from an on-set injury, Variety reports. The outlet confirmed that filming for the Marvel Studios’ movies is set to take a break beginning the week of Thanksgiving and begin shooting again in 2022.
As REVOLT previously reported, Wright — who is set to reprise her role as Shuri — endured minor injuries following a stunt mishap during an overnight shoot in Boston in August. When the incident occurred, the 28-year-old Guyanese-born British actress was hospitalized, however, sources said the injuries would have no impact on the film’s production.
The Ryan Coogler-directed movie started filming at the Pinewood Studios in Atlanta in June and has continued without Wright for the past two months. “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,” Wright’s reps said in a statement. “Letitia kindly asks that you keep her in your prayers.”
All of the scenes that could be shot without Wright have reportedly been finished. And the Nov. 11, 2022 release date currently stands. The original July 2022 release date for Wakanda Forever was pushed back by Marvel in October.
In addition to Wright, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Winston Duke are expected to reprise their original roles from the 2018 blockbuster movie. Emmy award-winning actress Michaela Coel has also reportedly joined the cast. Marvel Studios’ head Kevin Feige, has stated that Chadwick Boseman’s role as T’Challa will not be recast in the movie. Instead, it has been “reshaped” to honor the acclaimed actor while “continuing the legacy of Wakanda,” Feige said.
Black Panther is Marvel’s highest-grossing non-Avengers film of all time. Upon its release, the movie earned a whopping $1.34 billion worldwide. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won multiple Oscars, including Best Original Score, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.