The cast and crew of Wakanda Forever give their views on the making of the sequel and the impact that Chadwick Boseman had on the movie. The movie honors and celebrates the life of King T’Challa while the actors pay tribute to Boseman. “Audiences have embraced Wakanda and Black Panther. And Chadwick, he knew exactly what this story, what these images meant to the world,” Angela Bassett narrates at the start of the featurette. “We all suffered an incredible loss when we lost Chadwick,” adds Winston Duke who plays M’Baku in the movie. Director Ryan Coogler shares how important Boseman was to the film saying “Chad was very much our artistic partner.” He adds that “I would spend time with him, just he and I, talking about where we would want to see the story go, how much he admired the other characters and the actors that portrayed them.” The trailer shows behind-the-scenes footage of Boseman and the rest of the Black Panther crew during the filming of the first movie. According to Bassett, “we were all able to honor him together.” Lupita Nyongo’o adds that the cast made an emotional return to Wakanda. The actors all returned to the set “with a sense of celebration.” The trailer then shifts to the introduction of new characters like Riri William aka Iron Heart and the mutant anti-hero Namor. Tenoch Huerta shares that “it’s a dream” to play Namor. The cast and crew share their excitement about the new film and the roles that they play. They share that shooting the sequel contained a high level of emotion and passion. Those emotions have been channeled to create one of the most awaited films of the year. Boseman’s Black Panther has been credited for elevating the status of movies with a cast made up of mostly Black actors. The racial and cultural message of the film has been its main legacy. The movie has also set a new standard for the portrayal of Black superheroes. The loss of such a talented actor has impacted not just the cast but the audiences as well. Marvel’s Kevin Feige went so far as not to re-cast the role of T’Challa stating that it was too soon for another actor to take his place. The passing of Boseman has been central to the filming of Wakanda Forever. Winston Duke adds “all together, we ended up using those feelings to create something really special.” Letitia Wright ends the trailer by saying “I’m so excited about the world being able to tap into Wakanda again, how each character takes on new challenges, and I’m excited about us honoring Chad. Yeah, he would want us to just inspire the world.” Wright’s character Shuri is rumored to take the mantle of Black Panther in the movie. After seeing the new trailer, it is clear that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be the most emotionally charged film in the MCU. The movie will open in theaters on November 11, 2022.
