One can easily imagine that there will be a lot of emotions in the atmosphere when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever goes into production. The world was rocked last year by the news of Chadwick Boseman's death, and the upcoming Marvel Studios film is being made in honor of the actor's impressive legacy. Naturally there are a lot of questions about the project, including those about how the story will continue without T'Challa, but one castmember offering hope and solace is Angela Bassett, who has assured that the film is in great hands with writer/director Ryan Coogler.
The actor, who plays T'Challa's mother Ramonda in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, recently spoke about the developing sequel with Good Morning America. She told the hosts that she has not yet seen a script for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but she explained that she has every confidence in its quality because of the director at the head of the production. She explained,
Black Panther' fans don't have to worry about a thing because we have our fearless, wonderful, visionary leader Ryan Coogler there, you know, on script and there directing. I have no doubt that it will be glorious, that it will be wonderful.
At this point in his career, Ryan Coogler most definitely has not provided cinephiles with any reason to doubt his impressive skills as a filmmaker. It was eight years ago this past January that his stunning directorial debut, Fruitvale Station, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and his two studio features since then – Creed and Black Panther – have been critical and financial smash hits. Coogler is without question one of the most exciting filmmakers working today, and while making Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will surely be a difficult, complicated experience, he has all of our faith to create something impressive and memorable.
Continuing to heap complements on the director, Angela Bassett continued,
He's a visionary, an auteur, he's a kind of gentle soul and he encourages you in his own particular way, his own sweet way, gentle, insistent way to give your best, so I have absolute faith in him
Ryan Coogler has been attached to make the Black Panther sequel since at least October 2018, though he had to completely rewrite the script he was developing following the news of Chadwick Boseman's death. Nothing is known about the plot of the film, but Angela Bassett "knows" that the spirit of her late co-star will be with the cast and crew when cameras start to roll:
I'm excited, as you can imagine, very excited. Of course, there'll be some changes we know -- we know we won't have our heart and soul right there at the center in Chadwick, but in spirit I know that he will be with us from day one through through infinity.
Marvel Studios revealed the title of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earlier this month, but we still have more than a year to wait before its arrival. Set to be the seventh feature released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4 plans, the film will come out after Taika Waititi's Thor: Love And Thunder, and has been dated for July 8, 2022. Production is expected to begin in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout for more details, and check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide to see the franchise's full slate of titles heading to theaters in the next few years.
