Black Panther star Letitia Wright has said that despite Chadwick Boseman’s untimely death in August 2020, it was decided that production would move ahead with the same script for the second installment of the franchise. When Chadwick died of colon cancer two years ago, production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had been halted until executives could figure out whether they would scrap the initial film’s concept or have screenwriters pen a new script from scratch. It was even suggested at the time that Letitia would helm the lead role, but from what she has told Variety on Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival, the cast and crew hoped to honor Chadwick by opting not to change things.
“We honored him by committing ourselves to this story that he started, the legacy he started with this franchise,” she gushed at the Kering’s Women in Motion-sponsored program. “We just committed every day to work hard no matter what circumstances we faced. And we faced a lot of circumstances!” Letitia makes it no secret either that putting together the upcoming motion picture was no easy task, adding that the sequel had brought on a lot of “difficult situations.”
The team was determined to finish the movie exactly how it was originally planned before Chadwick’s death, and while there’ll of course be a huge character missing from the superhero flick, Letitia believes that when fans see the film, they’ll be proud of how their former colleague was commemorated. “It is an incredible honor for Chadwick Boseman — it’s jam-packed with exciting stuff.”
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There’s no denying that the cast of Black Panther has been giving it their all to make the forthcoming sequel its best one yet, with Letitia ending up in a hospital after she sustained injuries in a stunt scene that seemingly hadn’t gone according to plan. “Letitia Wright sustained minor injuries today while filming a stunt for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a rep for Marvel said in August 2021.”She is currently receiving care in a local hospital and is expected to be released soon.”
The incident was deemed “minor” and was not to have had too much of an impact on the filming schedule. Filming for the sequel commenced in June 2021, and while the movie’s initial release date was slated for July 2022, it has since been pushed back to October. Marvel executive Kevin Feige spoke of Chadwick’s passing in a recent interview with Variety, expressing that filming was extremely emotional for the crew without their lead star being there.
“But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans,” he said. “We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud.”