We've had several major productions start shooting this week, including John Wick: Chapter 4, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Knives Out 2, but it seems that Marvel has also officially returned to Wakanda.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed to Variety that production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever started yesterday at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta. Ryan Coogler returns to direct from a screenplay he wrote, and everyone from the original cast has returned, with one obvious exception — Chadwick Boseman. Although the actor's death from colon cancer last year was unexpected and tragic, Feige hopes that the Black Panther sequel would have made Boseman proud. "It’s clearly very emotional without Chad," Feige said. "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." Although it's still not clear how Boseman's absence will be handled in the sequel, Marvel definitely has a big task on their hands to not only deliver a great film, but to respect Boseman's legacy.
Martin Freeman, who played CIA operative Everett K. Ross in both Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther, will be reprising the role for the sequel, and teased earlier this year that fans are in for a treat. "People are in for, I think, a real treat," Freeman said. "I mean we've not done it yet, who knows, we might make it awful. But, I'm hoping we won't, I'm hoping people are going to be in for a treat." The actor added that after the initial shock of Chadwick Boseman's death, there was an assumption that the film wouldn't be happening, but Marvel Studios got in contact to say that they would be proceeding. "Obviously, the hope is we do the first film justice and we do Chadwick's legacy on it justice and make, hopefully, another good film," Freeman said. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is slated for a July 8, 2022 release.