‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Is ‘Going To Make Chad Proud’

Marvel Studios will return to Wakanda to shoot the highly anticipated blockbuster sequel, titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige announced that production began on Tuesday (June 29) at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Variety reports. Aside from Chadwick Boseman, Feige did not specify which actors would be returning, but Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Florence Kasumba are expected reprise their roles from the original film. Boseman, who played King T’Challa will -- obviously -- be sorely missed from the Wakandan world.

Chadwick Boseman died last August at 43 after a 4-year fight with colon cancer.

“It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Feige said before the Black Widow Global Fan Event in Los Angeles last night. “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."

When Black Panther opened in February 2018, it earned $1.34 billion worldwide, becoming Marvel’s highest grossing non-Avengers movie of all time. The film earned seven Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture (the first superhero movie ever recognized in that category), and it won Oscars for score, costume design and production design.

Plot details remain under wraps for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it is set to debut on July 8, 2022. It joins the list of 26 upcoming titles on Marvel Studios’ slate for theatrical release and streaming on Disney Plus, including a TV series set within the world of Wakanda that is part of a multi-year overall television deal.