Character details are still a mystery, but the Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate is a welcomed addition to the highly-anticipated sequel.
If you have been living under a rock the past 24-hours, allow us to catch you up to speed.
Michaela Coel, the wonderfully talented multi-hyphenate behind the Emmy-nominated I May Destroy You, has been added to the highly anticipated Black Panther sequel.
Titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, writer-director Ryan Coogler is currently filming in Atlanta, and has confirmed her involvement via Variety. It is expected that much of the cast of Marvel Studios’ first Black Panther film, which includes Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya, and Winston Duke, will return.
The script had to be reworked following star Chadwick Boseman’s unexpected passing due to colon cancer a year ago. Nyong’o noted recently about the process, “The way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world.”
As with any Marvel Studios project, plot and character details are locked up. But insiders and Twitter sleuths are already trying to put together insights as to who Coel could play and how she would fit into the revised storyline.
Marvel continues to decline to comment on the matter, as expected.
Coel has been a critical darling in the Black cinematic world after her BBC/Netflix show, Chewing Gum, exploded onto screens, instantly turning her into a much beloved creative. She followed that with her critically acclaimed HBO Max series, I May Destroy You, for which she’s received four Emmy nominations. In addition to writing, directing, and producing the epic tale, Coel starred as the show’s lead character who is in the throes of processing rape trauma in contemporary London.
Referring to Boseman’s passing, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told Variety in late June, “It’s clearly very emotional without Chad. 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.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set for wide release on July 8, 2022. The first Black Panther grossed a massive $1.3 billion at the box office at the worldwide box office
