Yesterday, news hit that Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler finally resumed production on “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” following an injury sustained by co-star Letitia Wright on set over the summer. Filming paused while the British actress recovered, and she seemingly has resolved vaccine requirements to return to Atlanta to shoot the movie, as indicated in a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
In the outlet’s story, the publications briefly mention that some actors have secured new sweetheart deals. Winston Duke has “negotiated a hefty raise for his return” as the breakout character M’Baku and adds that he’ll have an “expanded role in the ‘Panther’ mythos.” M’Baku went from a reclusive rival to the throne of Wakanda to one of T’Challa’s allies when thwarting Erik Killmonger’s war plans at the end of the original film, becoming a huge breakout with his limited scenes. He also appeared in “Avengers: Infinity War” and ‘Endgame’ alongside Wright and Danai Gurira.
READ MORE: Letitia Wright Returns To ‘Black Panther 2’ Set After Injuries Caused Production Delay
What an “expanded role” means wasn’t explained in great detail. We’ll have to wait and see when the film drops; however, M’Baku’s popularity might simply mean Coogler is giving the character much more screentime.
The sequel to the billion-dollar hit is said to have four more weeks of filming left. Last week, Lupita Nyong’o reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 when they originally wanted to resume filming among other cast and crew so more hiccups could continue.
There has been some intense speculation that an existing cast member could take over the Black Panther mantle from Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, who Marvel has been adamant they won’t recast. The beloved actor passed away in 2020 after a private battle with cancer. It’s been unclear from the studio what exactly they plan to do with the franchise moving forward, but Marvel will likely answer that question in the movie itself.
After shuffling its Phase Four release slate last year, Disney has given “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” release date of November 11. While there had been speculation that ‘Wakanda Forever’ could be pushed into 2023, with only four weeks of shooting left on these new reshoots, the film should easily be able to make its fall 2022 release date.