Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

With the release of Black Panther in February 2018, producer Kevin Feige said there were "many, many stories" to tell about the character, and he wanted director and co-writer Ryan Coogler to return for any sequel;[41] Marvel Studios wanted to keep the creative team as intact as possible,[42] while Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn, despite feeling it was too early to discuss a sequel, was also positive about the desire to have Coogler return as director.[43] Coogler wanted to see how Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa / Black Panther would grow as a king in future films, since his reign had only recently begun in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in contrast to the comics, where he was king since childhood.[44] In March 2018, Feige said there was nothing specific to reveal about a sequel, but Marvel had ideas and a "pretty solid direction" on where they wanted to take a second film.[45] That month, Boseman's agent Michael Greene was in negotiations for the actor to return as T'Challa in two planned Black Panther sequels for a reported pay of $10 million and $20 million, respectively.[46] By October, Coogler had closed a deal to write and direct a sequel to Black Panther. Despite both Marvel and Coogler having always intended to work together again after the first film's success, Coogler avoided rushing into a deal. Negotiations with Coogler were completed "under the radar" in the months following the first film's release. He was expected to begin writing the sequel in 2019, ahead of a planned filming start in late 2019 or early 2020.[42]

In November 2018, Letitia Wright was confirmed to be reprising her role of T'Challa's sister Shuri for the sequel.[6] When Angela Bassett, who played Ramonda in Black Panther, was asked if the main cast would return for the sequel, her husband Courtney B. Vance said they would. He said this included Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, who was killed in the first film, and Bassett agreed.[47] Feige dismissed Vance's statement in June 2019 as "pure rumor", saying there were no set plans for the film as Coogler had just begun outlining it and had not yet shared his plans with Feige or co-producer Nate Moore.[48] The next month, John Kani expressed interest in reprising his role as T'Challa's father T'Chaka in the film,[49] and Danai Gurira stated that Coogler had confirmed she would be reprising her role of Okoye in the sequel.[10] Feige confirmed the sequel's development at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con,[50] while Martin Freeman confirmed in August that he would reprise his role as Everett K. Ross in the sequel.[24] A release date of May 6, 2022, was announced at D23 along with the placeholder title Black Panther II.[51] Feige said Coogler had completed a script treatment for the film that included a villain and new title.[52] At the end of 2019, Ruth E. Carter confirmed that she would be returning from the first film as costume designer for the sequel, and said that she was set to begin work on it in "the fall".[53] Feige, Boseman, and Coogler discussed adapting elements of Boseman's more "Gung ho" T'Challa performance in the second episode of What If...? for the film.[54]

On August 28, 2020, Boseman died from colon cancer. Coogler stated that he had been unaware of Boseman's illness, and had spent the last year "preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say [in the film] that we weren't destined to see".[56] Feige and other executives at Marvel Studios were also unaware of Boseman's illness. Boseman, who had become thinner from his illness in the weeks prior to his death, had been prepared to begin gaining the weight back in September 2020 ahead of filming the sequel in March 2021. According to The Hollywood Reporter, industry observers felt Disney could recast the role, but that might generate a "fan outcry" and prompt comparisons between actors. Another suggestion was for Disney to shift their plans and have Shuri take on the mantle of the Black Panther, which occurred in the comic books.[57] By the time of Boseman's death, Coogler was in the middle of writing the script and had already turned in a draft.[58][59] In mid-November, executive producer Victoria Alonso said a digital double of Boseman would not be created for the film, and added that Marvel was taking their time to work out what they were going to do next and how.[60] Later in the month, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Bassett were confirmed to be reprising their roles for the sequel as Nakia, M'Baku, and Ramonda, respectively, while Tenoch Huerta was in talks for an antagonist role.[7] At that time, filming was expected to begin in June or July 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.[7][61]

In December 2020, the film's release date was moved back to July 8, 2022. Feige also confirmed that the role of T'Challa would not be recast, and said the sequel would explore the world and characters of the first film as a way to honor the legacy that Boseman helped build.[55] He would later reaffirm that visual effects would not be used to include Boseman in the film,[62] and also said it "felt like it was much too soon to recast" noting how the world outside and within the MCU was still processing the loss of Boseman.[63] By the end of the month, Boseman's makeup designer Siân Richards was set to return for the sequel, while his personal costumer Craig Anthony said he would not commit to the film due to Boseman's death. Hair designer Deidra Dixon was unsure if she would return following Boseman's death, as well as the death of her sister.[46] Feige said in January 2021 that the primary focus of the sequel was always about further exploring the characters and "different subcultures" of Wakanda.[62] That same month, Jordan said he was willing to reprise his role as Killmonger as he felt returning to the MCU would "always be on the table in some capacity" due to his love for the character and for working with Coogler.[64] In February, Daniel Kaluuya said he was unsure if he would reprise his role of W'Kabi;[65] he ultimately did not due to scheduling conflicts with Jordan Peele's Universal Pictures film Nope (2022).[66]

In March 2021, Coogler said he was still writing the script, and described working on the film without Boseman as the hardest thing he had ever done in his career. He added that Boseman had held together the first film, and now as the director, he was the one trying to keep it going.[58][67] He was able to reuse many elements of his planned film before Boseman's death while incorporating and applying "the themes that the people who were hurting just as much as me could actually perform and execute and come out on the other side whole".[15] According to Coogler, the original version of the script would have explored T'Challa dealing with resuming life after the Blip "grieving the loss of time... after being gone for five years,"[68] and involved T'Challa's relationship with his son Toussaint who he never met because of the Blip. Coogler also said that Namor and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine were in the original script, with de Fontaine having a larger role compared to the final film.[69] Wright added that Shuri would have become Black Panther alongside T'Challa.[70] Freeman said he would soon meet with Coogler to discuss the project.[59] In April, Coogler wrote an op-ed in which he said the film would still shoot in Georgia despite the state passing its controversial Election Integrity Act of 2021 law. Though Coogler did not support the bill, he felt that boycotting film production in the state would have a negative effect on the people who otherwise would have been employed by the film. He instead planned to raise awareness of how to overturn the bill.[71] Nyong'o expressed excitement for Coogler's plans and how everyone involved was dedicated to continuing Boseman's legacy,[72] later saying that Coogler had reshaped his ideas for the film to respect Boseman, which she felt was "spiritually and emotionally correct" to do.[73] Moore described the film as "how you move forward while dealing with a tragic loss. All of the characters, both old and new, are dealing with how loss can affect your actions in ways that are emotional and surprising."[8]

The film continues exploring feminist themes from the first film, with Nyong'o saying the film would tackle the "beliefs, passions, loves and arguments" of the women characters, creating "a robust drama". She also felt that Wakanda was a "world we are striving to get to".[74] The film introduces Namor to the MCU, while changing his homeworld from the comics, Atlantis, to Talokan.[15][17] Talokan is a "lavish", hidden, underwater Mesoamerican civilization that was inspired by ancient Mayan culture. The creatives worked with Mayan historians and experts to portray it.[8] Coogler noted Talokan was similar to Wakanda in that it was also an advanced civilization "hiding in plain sight",[15] with Moore stating the two "often find themselves in conflict because they're not dissimilar. They are these nations that would prefer to be hidden and isolated, with monarchs who are incredibly powerful and have strong points of view about how the world should be." Hannah Beachler returns from the first film as production designer, noting she did a "deep dive" to portray this version of Atlantis in the film; she was visually inspired by the films Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and Jack Kirby's comic imagery. Carter included jade and aquatic elements in her costumes for the Talokan people, and referenced sea creatures such as the lionfish and sharks for their feather headdresses. Many of the costumes needed to be tested in water given the amount of underwater filming that occurred.[8] One of the reasons would have been that there were no comparisons with Aquaman from competing company DC Entertainment,[75] the association between the legendary Atlantis and Mesoamerica came from the book Atlantis: The Antediluvian World (1882) by Ignatius L. Donnelly.[76]

In May 2021, Marvel Studios revealed the film's title as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,[77] which Ethan Anderton of /Film believed was a fitting tribute to Boseman since "Wakanda Forever" is the battle cry of the Wakandans.[78] Wakanda Forever was originally intended to be used as the title of a potential third Black Panther film before the creatives decided to use it for the second film, with Moore stating that the title "felt right because it's a story about triumph through adversity. It's a story about legacy, it's a story about persistence, and Wakanda Forever says all of those things."[79] By the end of that month, Freeman said he had read the script and expressed excitement for it.[80] At the end of June, Edgar Luna, the business development manager of Worcester, Massachusetts's Economic Development Office, said the technical department of Wakanda Forever was in the city the week of June 25 to scout and inspect filming locations, including at the Worcester Police Department headquarters.[81][82]

Production started at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 29, 2021,[83] under the working title Summer Break.[84] Prior to Boseman's death, filming had been set to start in March 2021.[57] At the start of filming, Feige announced that "everyone" from the first film was expected to return.[83] Autumn Durald Arkapaw serves as the cinematographer, after doing so on Marvel Studios' Disney+ series Loki, replacing the first film's cinematographer Rachel Morrison.[85] A long time collaborator of Coogler's, Morrison planned to return for Wakanda Forever but was unable to due to a scheduling conflict with her film Flint Strong caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[86] Discussing the use of anamorphic lenses as opposed to spherical lenses, Coogler explained that anamorphic lenses "warp the image a little bit", which fit with the film having "the fog of loss over it"; a "profound loss... can warp how you look at the world".[15] Arkapaw used Panavision T Series anamorphic lenses which were specifically modified by Panavision.[87] Wright, Gurira, Nyong'o, and Kasumba bonded together on set while dealing with their grief for Boseman's death, with Wright and Gurira particularly connecting through taking walks together. Gurira described feeling emotional while entering the throne set, as she remembered filming scenes with Boseman during the first film, and said that Coogler helped her process her grief.[74]

Bassett said in July that the screenplay was still undergoing changes due to Boseman's death, and had gone through at least five incarnations. She also indicated that the first film's co-writer Joe Robert Cole was contributing to the sequel,[88] which Feige soon confirmed.[89] Michaela Coel joined the cast in an undisclosed role.[90] In August, Isaach de Bankolé was set to reprise his role as the Wakandan River Tribe elder,[28] and Dominique Thorne began filming scenes for Wakanda Forever as Riri Williams before starring as that character in the Disney+ series Ironheart.[91] Filming that month was expected to take place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and in Worcester,[82][92] with the production preparing to film a car chase in Worcester by August 18.[82][93] A chase scene was filmed in the Ernest A. Johnson Tunnel on August 23 and 24.[94] On August 25, Wright was temporarily hospitalized with what were believed to be minor injuries sustained in an accident while filming a stunt in Boston.[95] Wright went to her home in London for recovery in September while filming continued to shoot around her character.[96] Dorothy Steel, who portrayed the Wakandan Merchant Tribe elder in the first film, died on October 15; she was in the middle of reprising her role for the sequel when she died.[30][97]

In late October, the film's release was delayed to November 11, 2022.[98] The production moved to the Mary Ross Waterfront Park in Brunswick, Georgia by October 22,[99][100] where filming occurred from October 28 to November 2.[100] Michael Torras, the manager of the Brunswick Landing Marina, said a 300-foot cruise ship would join the production in the following days, and most of the filming occurred on the water. Matthew Hill, Brunswick's downtown development authority director, said most of the scenes were shot at night.[101] By November 5, filming of the scenes that did not require Wright was completed,[96] before the production went on hiatus on November 19. This was to accommodate Wright's fractured shoulder and a concussion, which were more serious than initially determined, and was not expected to affect the film's release date.[96][102] The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented new rules on November 8 requiring non-U.S. citizens to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination before traveling to the country. The Hollywood Reporter noted that this could present an issue for Wright's return to filming in Atlanta since she is not a U.S. citizen and was reportedly not vaccinated.[103] In mid-December, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that filming would resume in late January 2022 in Atlanta with Wright involved;[104] Feige, Moore, and executive producer Louis D'Esposito confirmed upon the start of the hiatus that Wright was the film's new lead.[102]

Filming resumed by mid-January 2022, with a recovered Wright returning, and was expected to continue for four weeks.[105][106] Filming was originally scheduled to resume on January 10 but was delayed by a week after cast and crew members, including Nyong'o, tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Duke had negotiated a pay raise for his return because of his character's expanded role in the sequel.[106] The following month, Nyong'o revealed that Danny Sapani would be reprising his role as the Wakandan Border Tribe elder in the film.[29] Thorne completed filming her scenes by March 13.[107] Additional photography began on March 18, in Puerto Rico, where filming officially wrapped on March 24.[108][109]

In June 2022, Huerta confirmed that he was appearing in the film,[22] and he was officially announced to be playing Namor at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con the next month,[110] when Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livinalli were also revealed to be respectively playing Aneka, Namora, and Attuma, and Florence Kasumba was confirmed to be reprising her role as Ayo.[13] Reshoots occurred with the cast following their appearance at Comic-Con. Huerta described them as being for "little missing pieces".[111] In late July, it was revealed that Kamaru Usman would appear in the film,[36] while Richard Schiff was revealed to be cast in September.[112] Lake Bell was revealed to be appearing in the film in October; she previously voiced alternate versions of Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in What If...?.[33] Michael P. Shawver returns as editor from the first film.[113]

External video
Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever End Credits Main on End Title Sequence presents the film's main-on-end title sequence, YouTube video from Perception's channel

2,233 out of the film's 2,548 shots involved the use of visual effects, which were created by more than a dozen VFX vendors.[114] Perception designed the film's main-on-end title sequence, which depicts Shuri's funeral clothes being burned to reveal a Black Panther suit underneath. The sequence was filmed practically using a specialized fireproof Panavision camera, with Perception igniting controlled flames on cloth similar to the fabric worn by Shuri in the film.[115] The film only features one post-credits scene, with Moore explaining that the creatives "felt the ending was so kind of poetic", that including an additional scene after the credits would have "felt a little disingenuous tonally from what we were doing".[116]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered at the El Capitan Theatre and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on October 26, 2022.[146][147] It also premiered in Lagos, Nigeria on November 6, 2022, an occasion Deadline Hollywood described as the first local premiere for a Marvel film.[148]

It began releasing internationally on November 9, 2022,[146] and in the United States on November 11.[98] It was previously scheduled for May 6 and then for July 8, 2022.[51][55] The film was released theatrically in France, despite the country's 17-month waiting period for when films can appear on streaming services after its theatrical release. Disney's decision to release Wakanda Forever in theaters was encouraged by the French government's acknowledgment that their media chronology needed to be modernized and their timeline to do so, after previously opting to skip the theatrical release of their film Strange World and release it directly to Disney+. Under the current chronology, Wakanda Forever will first become available on Disney+ in France in early 2024.[149] The removal of a depiction of a same-sex relationship between Ayo and Aneka, along with some other edits, were made in order for the film to be released in Kuwait.[150] Wakanda Forever was released in China on February 7, 2023, becoming the first MCU film to be released in the country since Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).[151] It is the final film of Phase Four of the MCU.[152]

The film was released on Disney+ on February 1, 2023, with an IMAX Enhanced version also available.[153] It was also released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 7, 2023. The home media includes audio commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and various behind-the-scenes featurettes.[154] Upon its release on Disney+, the film became the most-watched Marvel film premiere globally on the service, based on hours streamed in its first five days.[155]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has grossed $453.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $405.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $859.2 million.[5][4] It is the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2022.[156] Its worldwide opening weekend earned $331.6 million, marking the third-largest opening of the pandemic era, behind Spider-Man: No Way Home ($601 million) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($452 million).[157] Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $259 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it fifth on their list of 2022's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[2]

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was projected to earn $175 million in the US and Canada on its opening weekend.[158] By November 2022, Boxoffice Pro estimated the film's opening weekend in the US and Canada to be between $170–205 million, and projected the film would earn $435–543 million for its total domestic gross.[159] The film made $84.3 million on its first day, which included $28 million from Thursday night previews.[160][161] Its opening weekend earned $181.3 million, becoming the top film of the weekend.[162] This marked the largest November opening weekend ever, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158.1 million), and the third-biggest opening for a film during the pandemic era, behind No Way Home ($260 million) and Multiverse of Madness ($187 million).[163] Wakanda Forever remained the top film in its sophomore weekend, grossing over $66.5 million, representing a drop of 63%.[164] The following weekend, the film remained atop the box office, grossing $45.6 million (a decline of 31%). Its gross over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend was $63.8 million.[165][166] The film remained atop the chart for its fourth and fifth weekend, earning $17.5 million and $11.2 million, respectively.[167][168] In its sixth weekend, Wakanda Forever earned $5.3 million and was displaced by Avatar: The Way of Water.[169] It is the third highest-grossing film of 2022 in the region behind Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water.[170]

Outside of the US and Canada, the film grossed $150.3 million from 50 markets in its first weekend. It had the biggest opening ever for a film in Nigeria, as well as the second-biggest for a film released in 2022 in France and South Africa.[157] Disney Africa reported that the film set an all-time box office record in West Africa and accumulated the biggest opening of 2022 in East Africa, as well as the second-highest box office gross ever in Southern Africa.[171][172] The five highest openings for the film were in the United Kingdom and Ireland ($15 million), France ($13.7 million), Mexico ($12.8 million), South Korea ($8.9 million) and Brazil ($7.1 million).[157] In its second weekend, Wakanda Forever grossed $69.8 million, for a drop of 49%,[173] while in its third weekend, it grossed $32.1 million, for a drop of 53%.[174] As of March 12, 2023, the highest grossing territories were the United Kingdom ($41 million), Mexico ($35.9 million), France ($33.2 million), Brazil ($21.4 million), and Australia ($19.5 million).[4]

Angela Bassett received widespread acclaim for her performance as Queen Ramonda, and became the first actress to win a major individual acting award for a Marvel film.[175]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 84% with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 442 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "A poignant tribute that satisfyingly moves the franchise forward, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marks an ambitious and emotionally rewarding triumph for the MCU."[176] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 62 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[177] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported audience members gave the film an overall positive score of 93%, with 85% saying that they would definitely recommend it.[178]

Kambole Campbell at Empire Online gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the film "stands out from a somewhat formulaic era of Marvel movies: held together by its compelling sense of place, and by acting as a passionate eulogy for Chadwick Boseman" and feeling that it was "imaginative and... grounded, which makes the tilt to the usual CG-dominated spectacle a little jarring." Campbell lauded the performances of Wright, Duke, Bassett, and Coel, and described Huerta's character as "a highlight, an imaginative adaptation of the veteran comics character, one who here speaks truth with convincing venom."[179] Tom Jorgensen at IGN gave the film 7 out of 10, stating that it was "an effective, emotional farewell to T'Challa—a meditation on forging one's own future out of a painful past—but with a plot that has to introduce an entirely new nation and pave the way for a new wave of Marvel stories, it does struggle under the weight of all that expectation." Jorgensen lauded Bassett and Huerta's performances, but he felt that Talokan had not been "establish[ed]... quite as gracefully" and the film's third act had "push[ed] its luck too far... with a poorly conceived and logically baffling tactical choice".[180]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: "The movie doesn't have the classic comic-book pow of Black Panther, and it's easily 20 minutes too long (we could probably have lived without the Talokan backstory). Yet Wakanda Forever has a slow-burn emotional suspense. Once the film starts to gather steam, it doesn't let up."[181] Similarly, Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune felt Wakanda Forever "is not special like the first movie was. The quality of the storytelling and especially the action sequences grows less effective as the film proceeds." Nevertheless, he singled out that "every actor on screen here is marvelous, even when the script and effects-driven spectacle settles for the wrong kind of 'more'."[182] Peter Travers of ABC News commended the performances from Bassett, Wright and Thorne, but wrote the film's runtime "feels loooong, with dragged out battle scenes, excessive computer effects and way too much franchise building."[183] The BBC's Nicholas Barber said that the sequel struggled due to the loss of Boseman, but commended the visual effects and Bassett, Wright, and Lupita Nyong'o's acting.[184]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter felt that "[e]ven if the length feels overextended, Coogler and his editors deserve credit for allowing breathing space between the action scenes for character and relationship development, with Ludwig Göransson's African-inflected score enhancing both those quieter moments and the big smackdowns. It's impossible for Wakanda Forever to match the breakthrough impact of its predecessor, but in terms of continuing the saga while paving the way for future installments, it's amply satisfying."[185] Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post wrote: "Wakanda Forever winds up feeling hopelessly stalled, covering up an inability to move on by resorting to repetitive, over-familiar action sequences, maudlin emotional beats and an uninvolving, occasionally incoherent story."[186] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film two stars out of four, criticizing the film's runtime and worldbuilding subplots. He further wrote that the sequel is "not so much a bad movie as it is disappointing and frustrating. There are some strong moments both in terms of character development (primarily for Shuri, who has the deepest and most compelling arc) and action (the car chase is perfunctory but some of the battle scenes are well-executed), but not enough of them. There are no rousing moments designed to elicit a mass cheer from the audience".[187]

French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu took issue with the portrayal of the French Armed Forces in the film, calling it a "false and misleading representation". A scene in the film shows French mercenaries that were captured by Wakandans after they attacked an outpost in Mali being brought before the United Nations in uniforms similar to those worn by French soldiers in Operation Barkhane. This was considered a "sensitive" storyline for France, given its soldiers withdrew from is involvement in the Mali War in 2022, and were replaced by Russia's Wagner Group.[188]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was nominated for five Academy Awards (winning one),[189] a British Academy Film Award,[190] six Critics' Choice Movie Awards (winning two),[191] two Golden Globe Awards (winning one),[192] and two Screen Actors Guild Awards,[193] among others. Bassett became the first actress to win a major acting award for her role in a Marvel film.[175] In addition, with Bassett's nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 95th Academy Awards, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever became the first Marvel film to be nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.[194]

In November 2022, Coogler and Feige were revealed to have discussed a potential third Black Panther film.[197] In January 2023, Wright believed a third film was being considered, noting that the cast and Coogler needed "a little bit of a break... to regroup" before starting work on a third film.[198]

In November 2022, Moore stated that the Disney+ series Ironheart would serve as a direct sequel to Wakanda Forever, with Thorne returning to reprise her role as Riri Williams.[199] Ironheart is scheduled to be released as part of Phase Five.[13]