After the news of Black Panther 2 taking a hiatus due to Letitia Wright’s injury, her unvaccinated status causes another potential delay for the film.
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Wright’s Shuri was gearing up to take the lead.
But sustaining an injury on set in Boston in late August caused Wright to return to London for surgery and rehabilitation. In the meanwhile, production continued to film scenes that did not primarily involve Wright.
Only a week ago, it was reported that Black Panther 2 had finished filming whatever it could without Wright and would now go on hiatus till 2022. During this period, the team would re-evaluate how to carry on filming the rest of the scenes in light of Wright’s injury.
But it seems that now there is another factor they need to account for: Wright’s unvaccinated status.
According to the Centre for Disease Control’s new rules, all non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the US must provide proof of being fully vaccinated before boarding the plane.
British national Wright is not only unvaccinated but is also allegedly anti-vax, a stance that can throw Black Panther 2 into jeopardy. However, as of now, there has been no comment from Marvel, Disney or Wright’s own representatives.
Fans are not having it — While some point out how this is needlessly delaying a big-budget film, others are also calling to attention that such actions endanger the rest of the cast and crew’s health.
Fans’ demands are stopping nothing short of a recast or handing the Black Panther mantle to another character. A popular pick is Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia:
It is yet to be seen how the studios will deal with this latest roadblock. Since Wright has filmed a good chunk of the scenes, a viable decision would simply be to change the filming location itself.
No announcements have been made about pushing back Black Panther 2’s November 11, 2022 release date. Production has already bought itself some time with the current hiatus. But decisions will have to be made come January 2022.
About Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an upcoming American superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will serve as the sequel to Black Panther (2018) and will be the 30th film in the MCU. The film is being written and directed by Ryan Coogler.
Wakanda grieves the loss of their King T’Challa as the nation deals with opening up their technology to the world. But apart from the diplomatic agencies’ onslaught, Wakanda must face yet another danger as the king of Talcon, an underwater nation like DC’s Atlantis, Namor, has declared war on Wakanda.
Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett will star in the film, which will premiere on November 11, 2022.
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