November 8, 2021
‘Black Panther’ Sequel To Shut Down Production Due to Letitia Wright’s Injury
An injury suffered by actress Letitia Wright in August is putting a pause on production for the Black Panther sequel, WSB-TV reports.
In the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death, T’Challa’s sister Shuri is set to take on an even bigger role in the film’s second installment. But with Wright being on bed rest healing from a physical injury, filming will have to wait until the star returns.
Production will halt for at least a month, with all the scenes that don’t require Wright being filmed until Nov. 22. Filming will kick back off in early 2022 when Wright is fully healed.
In August, Wright was temporarily hospitalized after being injured during a stunt performed while filming in Boston, Variety reports. While director Ryan Coogler didn’t initially expect the injury to affect production due to how minor it was, things have since changed.
“Letitia has been recovering in London since September from injuries sustained on the set of ‘Black Panther 2’ and is looking forward to returning to work early 2022,” a statement from Wright’s reps said. “Letitia kindly asks that you keep her in your prayers.”
Production for the sequel has been taking place primarily in Atlanta. Wright has stayed in London while production has continued on without her. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still expected to release on Nov. 11, 2022, following it being pushed back from its initial July 8, 2022 release date.
The current pause in production is not expected to affect the November 2022 release. Earlier this year, Wright came under fire after seemingly promoting anti-vaccine rhetoric online and on set.
Wright took to Instagram last month to shut down claims made by mainstream media claiming she was speaking out against the vaccine during filming for the sequel.
“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me, knows that I work incredibly hard at my craft & my main focus is always to do work that’s impactful and inspiring,” she wrote. “That has been & will continue to be my only focus.”
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Wright is set to take on an even bigger role in the sequel and will need to weed out the negativity and distractions. The sequel is currently filming on a 300-ft cruise ship in Brunswick. Much of the film has been shot at Trilith Studios in Atlanta.