Anthony Mackie Spills Major Wakanda Forever Production News
Marvel fans still have a lot to look forward to in 2022: several projects await their release dates on Disney+ and the big screen throughout the rest of the year. The last Marvel Cinematic Universe film fans can expect in 2022 is potentially also Marvel Studios' largest question mark. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" may serve as the sequel to 2018's highest-grossing movie (per Box Office Mojo), but it will hit theaters without Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020, as King T'Challa. At the time, Variety published "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler's beautiful tribute to Boseman, which indicated he was deep in the writing process for a "Black Panther" sequel when Boseman died, necessitating major changes to the movie.
Marvel Studios executive Kevin Feige said in 2020 that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" will explore the world and characters that were established around T'Challa in the first "Black Panther," allowing for the return of cast members like Lupita N'yongo and Letitia Wright for the sequel (via SlashFilm). Still, unknown what shape the film's plot might take or which characters it might focus most on without Boseman.
MCU fans last saw Wakandans in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" on Disney+, in which Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) work with the Dora Milaje after breaking Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) out of prison. While Mackie is not necessarily directly involved with the upcoming "Black Panther" sequel, he did have some news to share about the movie at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Anthony Mackie says Wakanda Forever has wrapped filming
Anthony Mackie was on hand at the 2022 Grammy Awards as a presenter, and confirmed that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has officially wrapped filming. In an interview on the red carpet, Mackie paused when asked whether he will appear in the "Black Panther" sequel before denying it, but he suggested that he has spent time on the film's set.
"I am not [in the movie], but I've seen [it], I've been there, I've witnessed," Mackie said (via Twitter). "I'm very excited for everybody to see 'Black Panther 2,' just wrapped. It's in the can, it's coming, it's done."
As ComicBook.com noted, social media activity from some "Black Panther" crew members had indicated in recent weeks that the movie was almost finished filming, but Mackie's confirmation seems to indicate that the MCU will make its return to Wakanda as scheduled on November 11, 2022. Mackie being the MCU actor to confirm details about the "Wakanda Forever" production process is curious, though. He's not listed as a cast member for the upcoming movie, so it's possible that Mackie simply wanted to spend some time on set with Ryan Coogler and the cast as he awaits the development of his first true starring role in the franchise, in the upcoming "Captain America 4."
Given the ongoing relationship established between the world's new Captain America and Wakanda in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," perhaps Sam will make a trip to Wakanda (and to our screens) sooner than audiences thought.