‘Black Panther 2’ Shoots Summer 2021 With ‘Narcos: Mexico’s Tenoch Huerta As A Villain

2020 was the first year since 2008 with no Marvel film on the big screen. But 2021 is ramping up to be a big year for the superhero studio that has already begun production on the Disney+ show “Ms. Marvel,” and many more series waiting in the wings. One film that was delayed due to a massive tragedy, “Black Panther 2,” is getting back on track.

READ MORE: ‘Black Panther’: Marvel Exec Says Chadwick Boseman Will Not Be Digitally Recreated For Sequel

First off, no, no replacement for Black Panther has been found (Chadwick Boseman passed away from cancer in August), nor has Marvel revealed how they will move forward with the franchise without its lead actor. But THR reveals that after taking time to grieve, Marvel Studios is moving ahead with “Black Panther 2” which will shoot next summer.

READ MORE: Report: Chadwick Boseman Tragically Believed He’d Beat Cancer & Return For ‘Black Panther’ Sequel

Additionally, “Narcos: Mexico” Tenoch Huerta is scheduled to appear as one of the movie’s antagonists, but it’s unknown who he will play at the moment (let the speculation begin about Latinx Marvel villains who may have faced off against Black Panther in the comics… White Tiger?). That’s one antagonist, so more are still going to appear (over the year’s fans have speculated characters like Namor and Kraven The Hunter, but that’s just educated guesswork). Huerta also appeared in Cary Joji Fukunaga‘s film “Sin Nombre” in 2009 and will be seen next in Blumhouse’s 2021 horror film, “The Forever Purge.”

READ MORE: Letitia Wright Says It’s “Strange” To Think About Doing ‘Black Panther 2’ Without Chadwick Boseman

Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett are all expected to return to the “Black Panther” franchise with the trade repeating the oft-repeated rumor and speculation: that Wright’s Shuri character, Black Panther’s tech-savvy sister, could take over as the film’s most prominent character and or even assume the Black Panther mantle as she has in the comics.

Marvel has not revealed how they will move forward without Boseman, but execs recently said they will not resort to digital duplication or tricks (then again, Lucasfilm said the same thing about Carrie Fisher and while they did not recreate her from scratch digitally, using old footage instead, there were tons of digital tricks used to insert her into the film).

Lastly, apparently Marvel Disney+ series are the new priority and focus of Kevin Feige since the movie apparatus is a well-oiled machine. “The series are the priority,” one source told THR. “Ramping them up takes a lot of focus. The movie machinery is well established.”

“Ms. Marvel” is shooting now, and in March, the studio will begin production on “She-Hulk,” starring Tatiana Maslany, and “Moon Knight” with Oscar Isaac. “WandaVision,” starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, debuts on Disney+ on Jan. 15, and on the way in 2021, is “Loki” and “The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.” The “Black Panther 2” release date is still currently set for May 6, 2022. [THR]