Black Panther 2 Star Says Script Is Still Changing During Production
The script for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to undergo changes even with the Ryan Coogler film already doing principal photography.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has already started production, but its script still continues to change. Marvel Studios is moving forward with the sequel of their massively successful 2017 film, Black Panther. Almost everyone from the core cast is coming back for the follow-up film, except for Chadwick Boseman, who sadly passed away in 2020 after quietly battling cancer for years.
For a while, it was uncertain how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would pan out without its titular hero. The project was announced during San Diego Comic-Con 2019, on the heels of the Infinity Saga's end, and there was high anticipation for it considering what the original film has achieved. With director Ryan Coogler back at the helm, there's a confidence that Marvel Studios will once again deliver a culturally and socially impactful blockbuster. But, after the original script was rewritten to work around Boseman's death and to make sure that the movie honors his legacy, Kevin Feige eventually announced that principal photography for the project has already started in Atlanta.
Marvel Studios is typically coy when commenting about their endeavors. So while Black Panther: Wakanda star Angela Bassett, who plays Queen Ramonda, couldn't reveal any plot specifics, she told Entertainment Tonight in a new interview about where they currently stand in production. According to her, the sequel's script has been consistently changing even with filming already in full swing. Read what Bassett said below:
I don't know what it's going to look like at all. There have been about five incarnations of the script, and I hear another one's coming.
It's unclear if the actress literally meant that there have already been five versions of the script or if it was merely an exaggeration. Regardless, it's safe to say that there have been more iterations of that story before it was sent out to the actors, which is totally normal in filmmaking. While Bassett's comments can also easily be interpreted as an inclination that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in trouble, it's worth noting that this isn't something unheard of in terms of Marvel Studios films. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo had been open about adding and nixing scenes while filming Avengers: Endgame, which turned out to be a huge success. Most famously, Jon Favreau's Iron Man didn't even have a complete script; they figured things out as they went and it ended up launching the MCU.
Reworking a whole movie without its supposed lead character is very tricky, so, understandably, Coogler and co-writer J. Robert Cole are consistently trying to find ways to better the story for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But, considering what they were able to come up with in the original Black Panther movie, it's best to trust them with what they're doing. Ultimately, everyone involved in the sequel is extra motivated not just to come up with a worthy sequel to the 2018 film, but to honor the legacy of Boseman.
Source: Entertainment Tonight