‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Pauses Production as Letitia Wright Continues To Recover From Injury
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has apparently run out of Shuri-less scenes to film.
The film, which began production in July, is officially paused, as Deadline confirms and The Hollywood Reporter broke a couple of weeks ago. Executive producers Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Nate Moore signed a note that was passed around the cast and crew this morning. The note also said that production will resume in January, when the actress is expected to have recovered. The incident happened in late August, during a stunt on set in Boston which resulted in a fractured shoulder and a concussion. These injuries were more serious than they initially realized.
Wright is currently in London, which given the travel ban currently in place between the U.S. and the U.K. for non-vaccinated people, could potentially mean a bigger delay for the film. After Chadwick Boseman’s untimely passing last year due to cancer, Wright reportedly has the leading role in the film (as The Hollywood Reporter asserted two weeks ago).
Per Deadline, here’s the note:
As we wind down for the holidays, we wanted to send a note of thanks and appreciation for the hard work of our entire cast and crew, as well as an update on timing. First and foremost, this project is exceptional and something we know audiences are eager to see. We could not be any more excited to complete this film and share it with the world next year. Thank you for everything you’ve done to get us to this place.
Unfortunately, we’ve not gotten here without a few setbacks. Running a production of this scale in the midst of a pandemic is not an easy task, and you have remained diligent and professional throughout. In addition, as you are all aware, Letitia had a frightening accident on our set during a stunt back in August. It was a reminder of the importance of safety at all times in our work, which we know you understand and are committed to. What we had initially thought were minor injuries turned out to be much more serious with Letitia suffering a critical shoulder fracture, and a concussion with severe side effects. It has been a painful process and Letitia has been home recovering with her doctors and the support of family.
We’ve adjusted our production schedule so she has the time she needs to heal, but there’s only so much we can do without Shuri! We also want to thank Letitia for everything she’s doing to get back to the set – we know how much she loves this role, how tough it’s been for her to be away, and how hard she’s working to recover as quickly as she safely can. We are eagerly awaiting her return and we know we will all come back stronger together.
Please be on the lookout for more information on your specific return-to-work date. As of now, we’re on schedule to resume filming – with Letitia – in January 2022. We are all focused on finishing the movie with excellence, honoring the memory of our dear brother Chadwick in the process. We are thrilled to share Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with the world, confident that the challenges that we have overcome together as a team will make the film even more impactful. Please take care of yourselves and enjoy the holidays.
-Kevin, Louis & Nate
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will bow in theaters on November 11, 2022. Ryan Coogler is back in the director’s chair.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
