Movies that make the kind of money that Black Panther is making get sequels. You don't even have to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- a realm carried by part twos and threes -- to ensure that financial success will launch a follow up movie. But it helps. So Black Panther 2 is practically a guarantee. The studio hasn't announced anything yet (in fact, word on Marvel's Phase 4 has been nonexistent), but we'd bet a Soul Stone that plans are underway behind the scenes for Black Panther 2. So, when might that movie hit theaters?
The earliest we'd guess that Black Panther 2 could be in theaters would be 2020. Production would have to ramp up almost immediately, and a 2020 release date would almost depend on Marvel locking up Ryan Coogler, and him having done SOME prep work on a sequel so they could begin soon. Because right now, the only film on the slate for 2020 at Marvel Studios is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and while James Gunn hasn't begin filming yet, he has done plenty of work on the story and the script.
If I had to put a date on James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, I'd say it's a May release, kicking off the summer season. Black Panther 2 -- if it released that year -- likely couldn't hit a February date. So a November slot seems more likely, as Marvel has released titles like Thor: Ragnarok, Doctor Strange and Thor: The Dark World during that month, to general wins.
The problem is, we just have no clue what the Marvel landscape will look like beyond Avengers 4, which everyone at the studio has gone on record to call the "culmination" of the MCU to that date. So we think of movies that are getting traditional sequels, but maybe that isn't the case? The studio has announced a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019. And the third Guardians has a 2020 release date. I don't see Marvel only releasing one movie on 2020, but other characters like Doctor Strange could merit a sequel, pushing Black Panther 2 back.
Because films take a long time to write, shoot, edit and market, we know we won't see Black Panther 2 in theaters any time before 2020. If I had to bet, I'd pencil Black Panther 2 into a February 2021 slot. Because Marvel Studios, as a whole, likes consistency. They have found release windows that work for them. Audiences will follow Marvel wherever they drop a film, but keeping Black Panther 2 in the slot that broke records makes sense. It would also give Ryan Coogler (who I'm assuming comes back for the sequel, a la James Gunn or Peyton Reed) the proper amount of time to develop the next chapter in T'Challa's saga inside and out of Wakanda.
Do you mind having to wait that long for Black Panther 2? Do you prefer that the creative team behind a sequel gets the proper time to develop the right story? Let us know in the comments section below. And bookmark our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide to stay up to date on all things MCU.
