Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the third and final MCU movie of 2022, with a November 11th release date. While there’s plenty of time for Marvel to finish the film, we already saw speculation of what might happen in the event of delays.
Marvel had to postpone its MCU Phase 4 titles more than once because of the pandemic. And the pandemic also impacted Wakanda Forever production. Therefore, delay worries are warranted, especially for a movie as big as Black Panther 2.
But an insider claims that Marvel will not delay Wakanda Forever, and the film will be ready in time for its mid-November release.
Who is the new Black Panther?
We have at least a couple of reasons why so much is riding on Wakanda Forever. First of all, the origin story was a huge success for Marvel. That puts a lot of pressure on Marvel not to disappoint fans.
But, more importantly, Chadwick Boseman tragically died after a secret battle with cancer. It happened long before he had a chance to begin work on the sequel. Even without COVID-19 to delay the MCU release schedule, the tragic incident might have forced some delays for Black Panther 2.
Wakanda Forever has to introduce a new Black Panther protagonist. That couldn’t have been the point of the sequel initially, but Boseman’s passing changed everything. Marvel has no option but to pass the Black Panther mantle to someone else. And that will be the focus of the movie. That character will then continue to appear in other MCU projects.
We know from Marvel that the MCU won’t recast T’Challa for the sequel. Therefore, someone close to the king will take over the Black Panther role. That secret is still well-guarded at Marvel, as we haven’t seen any leaks to reveal the identity of the next Black Panther.
As for who might be the next Black Panther, several educated guesses point to Shuri (Letitia Wright) as T’Challa’s logical successor. After all, she took up the Black Panther mantle in the comics.
The lack of big plot rumors is not a hint that production isn’t advancing according to plan, however. There were various delays in the past few months, but Marvel is handling them.
Wakanda Forever is on track to hit November release date
The insiders at The Cosmic Circus have provided additional context about the status of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, indicating there’s no reason to worry about delays. Marvel won’t have to postpone the release date or have the film swap places with The Marvels, as had been rumored.
The report says that the movie started filming in July 2021, with a target release date of July 2022. That was before Marvel delayed all its MCU movies beginning with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
To hit that tight schedule, post-production started simultaneously with principal shooting. The aim was to finish the special effects in time for July 2022. But then Marvel pushed back the release to mid-November. Even with the production delays, Marvel is still on track to finish Black Panther 2 on time.
The report also says that a source revealed that post-production is going “smoothly.” Marvel is making conscious efforts to prevent visual effects mistakes like in the first movie. Also, a crew from Avatar 2 is said to be involved in the project.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer coming soon?
Furthermore, the special effects for Wakanda Forever should finish in September. That’s at least a month ahead of the Black Panther 2 premiere date. Comparatively, the special effects for Spider-Man: No Way Home finished in early December ahead of the late-December release.
Finally, the report says that the new wrap date for Wakanda Forever is scheduled for March 2022. Production should finish up in Puerto Rico. The Cosmic Circus says that the film is respecting that schedule. This gives Marvel eight months for post-production and reshoots.
That said, the report makes no mention of the first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer. Considering we’re two months away from Multiverse of Madness, we wouldn’t expect one anytime soon. Thor: Love and Thunder will follow the Doctor Strange sequel, and we don’t even have a trailer for that one yet.
