Why Black Panther Fans Should Be Worried About Letitia Wright's MCU Future
Following the tragic death of the late Chadwick Boseman in August 2020, Marvel Studios and "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler had to rewrite the plans for the sequel to the Boseman-led series. In December 2020, Marvel announced that they would not be recasting the character of T'Challa in the second film in honor of Boseman's iconic portrayal of The King of Wakanda. Instead, they would focus on the world of Wakanda and the other memorable characters from the first film.
Production began on "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" this June, with an original release date set for November 11, 2022. However, production recently stopped to allow Letitia Wright to recover from an injury received on set during a stunt. While they had continued filming without Wright for as long as possible, all remaining scenes require Wright's presence (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Wright plays Shuri, the younger sister of T'Challa in the films. While nothing is confirmed, many fans theorize that Shuri could play a major role in the sequel due to Boseman's absence — so there could be a large number of scenes left to film. Now, a new development also related to Wright might delay the film even further.
Letitia Wright could lose her role for not being vaccinated
According to The Hollywood Reporter, multiple Hollywood studios have started to get stricter on their COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their cast and crew in upcoming productions. Many studios have set vaccine mandates in place for what's called "Zone A" of a production, where the main cast, director, and camera operators are working.
Letitia Wright has reportedly not been vaccinated (per THR), following controversial statements she made against the vaccine last year. Furthermore, the Guyanese-British actress has now flown home to London to recover from her on-set injury, making her return to set even more precarious. According to the CDC, all non-immigrant and non-citizen international travelers need to have proof of vaccination before coming to the United States.
No statements have been released from Wright or Disney on the subject. In the meantime, fans certainly have a valid reason to worry whether Wright will return to finish "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."