Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an American superhero film, and a sequel to Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. It is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the thirtieth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the seventh and final film of Phase Four. It was released on November 11, 2022.
Synopsis
Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje, fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.[1]
Plot
On May 3rd, 2024[2],T'Challa, king of Wakanda, dies of a disease that his sister Shuri believes could have been cured by the "heart-shaped herb". Shuri has been attempting to synthetically recreate the herb after it was destroyed by Killmonger, but is unsuccessful.
A year later, Shuri is reminded by her mother that the date is the anniversary of T'Challa's passing and Wakanda has been under pressure from other countries to share their Vibranium, with some parties attempting to steal it by force. Ramonda implores Shuri to continue her research on the heart-shape herb, hoping to create a new Black Panther that will defend Wakanda, but she refuses as she believes the Black Panther to be a figure of the past. The CIA uses a new Vibranium-detecting machine on an expedition to a potential Vibranium deposit underwater.
The entire search team is then attacked and killed by Namor and his blue-skinned, water-breathing people, but the CIA believes Wakanda was responsible. Namor goes to Ramonda and Shuri, easily bypassing Wakanda's advanced security. He blames Wakanda for the Vibranium race and gives them an ultimatum – find and give him the scientist responsible for the Vibranium-detecting machine, or he will attack Wakanda.
Shuri and Okoye, with the help of their friend and CIA agent Everett Ross, go to Boston to meet the scientist responsible: an MIT student named Riri Williams. The group is chased by the FBI, and then by Namor's warriors, who defeat Okoye and take Shuri and Riri underwater to meet Namor. Ramonda strips Okoye of her duty as Dora Milaje, and seeks out Nakia, who has been living in Haiti since the Blip, for help to find Shuri and Williams. Shuri meets Namor, who shows her his underwater kingdom of Talokan, which he has protected for centuries and is rich with Vibranium. Bitter at the surface world that once rejected him, Namor offers an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world but promises to destroy Wakanda first if they refuse. Nakia helps Shuri and Williams escape, and Namor retaliates with an attack against the capital of Wakanda, during which Ramonda drowns saving Williams. Namor vows to return in a week with his full force, as the citizens of Wakanda are relocated to the Jabari Land for their safety.
Meanwhile, Ross is arrested by his ex-wife and director of the CIA, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, for secretly exchanging classified intelligence with the Wakandans. Shuri, using a remnant of the herb that gave Namor's people their underwater abilities, synthetically reconstructs the heart-shaped herb. After ingesting the herb, Shuri becomes the new Black Panther and meets Erik Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, who urges her to seek revenge. Upon returning, she is accepted by the other Wakandan tribes. Despite M'Baku's advice for peace, Shuri is determined to get revenge for Ramonda's death and orders an immediate counter-attack on Namor. Preparing for battle, and with Ayo assuming the role of General of the Dora Milaje, Shuri bestows the Midnight Angel armor upon Okoye, who in return recruits Aneka to join her.
The Wakandans use a seafaring vessel, the Sea Leopard, to set a trap for Namor, luring him and his warriors to the surface, and a battle ensues. Shuri separates Namor from the rest of his people, intending to dry him out and weaken him. The pair crash on a desert beach and fight. Shuri eventually gains the upper hand, but she realizes the similarities between Wakanda and Talokan and decides to spare Namor's life, offering him a peaceful alliance. Namor accepts and the battle ends. Namor's cousin, Namora, is upset about Namor yielding to Shuri, but he promises that Shuri's empathy for their people is useful because Wakanda has no other allies in the world. Now safe, Williams returns to Boston but has to leave her new suit behind. Later, Okoye rescues Ross from captivity.
In a mid-credits scene, Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti where she burns her funeral ceremonial robe like her mother wanted, allowing herself to finally grieve while a silent tribute is featured to honour Chadwick Boseman. She then learns that Nakia and T'Challa have a son, Toussaint, who Nakia has been raising in secret far from the pressure of the throne. Toussaint reveals his Wakandan name is T'Challa.
Cast
- Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
- Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia
- Danai Gurira as Okoye
- Winston Duke as M'Baku
- Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda
- Tenoch Huerta as Namor
- Manuel Chavez as Young Namor
- Martin Freeman as Everett Ross
- Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams/Ironheart
- Florence Kasumba as General Ayo
- Michaela Coel as Aneka
- Alex Livinalli as Attuma
- Mabel Cadena as Namora
- Isaach De Bankolé as River Tribe Elder
- Danny Sapani as Border Tribe Elder
- Dorothy Steel as Merchant Tribe Elder
- Zainab Jah as Mining Tribe Elder
- Sope Aluko as Sope the Shahman
- Connie Chiumi as Zawavari
- Trevor Noah as Griot (voice)
- Shawn Roberts as WDG Scientist
- Zola Williams as Zola
- Janeshia Adams-Ginyard as Nomble
- Jemini Powell as Jemini
- Marija Abney as Dora Milaje
- Keisha Jonaie Tucker as Dora Milaje
- Ivy Haralson as Dora Milaje
- Maya Macatumpag as Dora Milaje
- Baaba Maal as Funeral Singer
- Jabari Exum as Drummer/Naval Guard
- María Mercedes Coroy as Princess Fen
- Irma-Estel Laguerre as Princess Fen (older)
- Lake Bell as Dr. Graham
- Kamaru Usman as Naval Officer
- Richard Schiff as U.S. Secretary of State
- Amber Harrington as Rita Salazar
- Travis Love as M'Bele
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Anderson Cooper as Himself
- Michael B. Jordan as N'Jadaka/Erik Killmonger
- Divine Love Konadu-Sun as T'Challa II (mid-credits scene)
- Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther (archive footage and mentioned)
Production
On March 9, 2018, Kevin Feige revealed that there are plans to make a sequel to Black Panther.[3]
On October 11, 2018, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Ryan Coogler has signed on to return to write and direct the film.[4]
On August 20, 2019, Martin Freeman revealed that filming was expected to begin in 2021.[5]
On August 28, 2020, Chadwick Boseman, who had been set to reprise his starring role as the titular character, died of colon cancer before production even began.[6]
On November 15, 2020, executive producer Victoria Alonso denied rumors that a digital body double of Boseman would be used for the film, saying "our king has died in real life, not only in fiction, and we're taking a little time to see how we continue the story..."[7]
Five days later, The Hollywood Reporter announced that filming on the sequel would begin in July 2021, and that Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta was in talks to portray the antagonist. It was also confirmed that Wright, Nyong'o, Duke, and Bassett would return. The article also stated there were rumors that "Wright's character Shuri may take on a more prominent role", leading to speculation that Shuri would take on the mantle of the Black Panther.[8]
On December 11, 2020, it was announced that the role of T'Challa would not be recast, and the film would come out on July 8, 2022.[9] Eight days later, it was reported that the film would honor Chadwick Boseman and his portrayal as king T'Challa as well as explore the world of Wakanda.[10] The title was officially announced in May 2021.
On April 14, 2021, it was reported that the working title of the film would be "Summer Break".
On May 3, 2021, it was revealed that the film's title is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Principal photography began on June 29, 2021 in Atlanta.[11]
On August 19, 2021, Kevin Feige confirmed that Riri Williams/Ironheart will make her MCU debut in the film.[12]
On October 18, 2021, Deadline revealed that the release date for the film had been postponed to November 11, 2022.[13]
It was reported on November 5, 2021 that production was shut down until early 2022 as Letitia Wright was still recovering from an injury from August.[14]
On January 14, 2022, BBC News reported that Letitia Wright had recovered from her injuries and that the film had resumed production.[15]
On March 24, 2022, it was reported that the film had wrapped production.[16]
On July 13, 2022, Daniel Kaluuya revealed that he will not be appearing in the film, due to scheduling conflicts with his film Nope.[17]
Reception
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 83% approval rating based on 447 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical 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." Metacritic gave the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 62 critic reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
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Gallery
Trivia
- The title is a nod to the saying "Wakanda Forever", a battle cry by T'Challa, which is repeated by Shuri during her battle with Namor in the climax.
- This is Namor's first live-action appearance outside of the comics and animation.
- With a runtime of 161 minutes, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the second longest Marvel Cinematic Universe film after Avengers: Endgame at 181 minutes.
- This film marks the first appearance of Ironheart/Riri Williams in live-action.
- The film was released in China on February 7, 2023, becoming the first MCU film and the only MCU Phase Four film to do so since Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), after multiple MCU Phase Four films were not released in the country.[18]
- In Kuwait, 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.[19]
- The post-credit scene does not feature any dialogue, just music, making it the first film to do this as well as having a montage of pure silence to honor Chadwick Boseman, allowing the audience to grieve the actor alongside Shuri and her actress, Letitia Wright, who was actually grieving Boseman at the time of filming.
- Lake Bell previously worked on the animated series What If...?, voicing Natasha Romonoff/Black Widow.
- As of 2024, this is the last Marvel Studios production to open the movie without the logo, until the scene is done.
- T'Challa died on May 3, 2024, 6 months after being restored to life in Avengers: Endgame.[2]
References
- ↑ "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Project Profile".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline
- ↑ "Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige on the future of Black Panther, Captain Marvel, X-Men — and beyond". Entertainment Weekly (March 9, 2018).
- ↑ "Ryan Coogler Signs on to Write and Direct 'Black Panther' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter (October 11, 2018).
- ↑ "Martin Freeman Interview: On 'Ode To Joy' And Breakfast Burritos". Uproxx (August 20, 2019).
- ↑ "Chadwick Boseman's Twitter Confirm His Death". Twitter (August 28, 2020).
- ↑ Haring, Bruce (November 15, 2020). "'Black Panther 2' Will Not Use Digital Double Of Chadwick Boseman, Says EP". Retrieved on November 15, 2020.
- ↑ "Marvel's 'Black Panther' Sequel Shoot to Begin in July (Exclusive)" (November 20, 2020). Retrieved on November 22, 2020.
- ↑ "Black Panther Won't Recast Chadwick Boseman". IGN.com (December 11, 2020).
- ↑ Black Panther on Twitter Announce Honouring Chadwick Boseman in "Black Panther 2"
- ↑ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Production Starts in Atlanta: 'We're Going to Make Chad Proud' (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams to Debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Exclusive)
- ↑ "Marvel Movie Shift: 'Doctor Strange 2' To Kick Off Summer 2022, 'Thor: Love And Thunder' Heads To July & More". Deadline (October 18, 2021).
- ↑ "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Shutting Down Production as Letitia Wright Recovers From On-Set Injury (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter (November 5, 2021).
- ↑ Letitia Wright returns to Black Panther II set months after accident
- ↑ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever News on Twitter - March 24, 2022
- ↑ Jacqueline on Twitter - July 13, 2022
- ↑ "China: 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', 'Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania' Secure February Release Dates; First Marvel Movies In Market Since 2019"
- ↑ "LGBTQ Scene Among Cuts Made to 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' for Kuwait Release (Exclusive)"
External links
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Wikipedia- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on IMDb
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Facebook
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on 𝕏
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Instagram
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
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