Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Just Added This Emmy Nominee To Its Cast
Directed by Ryan Coogler (who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Joe Robert Cole), the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Black Panther" became an instant sensation. It drew in $1.3 billion worldwide in box office sales, according to Box Office Mojo, and was almost unanimously loved by critics, giving it a near-perfect 96% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Naturally, talk of a sequel to "Black Panther" has been circulating since its release, with fans eager to get a continuation to the story. And much to everyone's delight, it was announced in October of 2018 that Coogler had signed on to co-write and direct the sequel, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Tragically, star Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer in August 2020, meaning that any sequel would either have to recast T'Challa or move forward without the character. The creative team decided on the latter and plans for the project continued. In January of 2021, Variety reported that filming began, although we still have very little information on the details of the plot. We do know that multiple stars from the first film — including Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Freeman, and Letitia Wright — are reprising their roles.
And that cast just got a little bigger — and even more exciting — with the addition of a recent Emmy nominee.
Michaela Coel joins Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Variety has just reported that actor and writer Michaela Coel has joined the cast of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Unfortunately, there are no details available yet about her character and Marvel declined to comment when Variety reached out for a statement.
Regardless of who she ends up portraying, the announcement of Coel's casting is an exciting — and notable — one, as her stardom is definitely on the rise. In 2020, Coel created, wrote, starred in, and directed nine of the 12 episodes of the HBO drama "I May Destroy You." The series was praised up and down the board for its sharp writing, stellar acting, and thoughtful depiction of sexual trauma, amongst other things. "I May Destroy You" received a total of nine Emmy nominations this year, including three for Coel (for acting, directing, and writing). Additionally, she wrote and starred in the British sitcom "Chewing Gum" and has acted in other notable projects such as "Black Mirror" and "Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi."
Clearly an ultra-talented actor (and writer and director), we can't wait to see how Coel plays into "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."