What To Expect From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The highly-anticipated sequel to one of Marvel’s best films will highlight its strong female characters and heroes
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Marvel fans, mark your calendars; the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2018 Marvel film Black Panther is set to be released this November.
The trailer for the sequel, titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, recently dropped at Comic-Con 2022, where fans were able to catch a first look at the film.
Set to a mix of Nigerian singer Tems’ rendition of the Bob Marley and the Wailers classic “No Woman, No Cry” as well as Kendrick Lamar’s hit song “Alright”, the trailer offers an emotional glimpse at the upcoming storyline, where the kingdom of Wakanda is learning to cope with a world without their king, T’Challa. Chadwick Boseman, who played the lead for the first film, tragically passed away in 2020 after an undisclosed battle with colon cancer.
In the wake of the late actor’s passing, returning director Ryan Coogler reworked the screenplay with Marvel choosing not to recast his role of T’Challa; instead, the sequel will place a larger focus on the supporting cast, with the film dedicated to continuing Boseman’s legacy.
“It feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this,” Lupita Nyong’o, who portrays Nakia, an undercover spy for Wakanda and T’Challa’s love interest in the first film, noted in an interview with IndieWire. “And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.”
Besides Nyong’o, the film’s returning favourites include actresses Letitia Wright (who plays Shuri, T’Challa’s sister and the princess of Wakanda who designs new technology for the nation), Danai Gurira (playing Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s all-female special forces) and Angela Bassett (Ramonda, the Queen Mother of Wakanda).
While it’s no secret that women are often given pared-down, one-dimensional roles in action films as compared to their male counterparts, Marvel has been making several attempts to improve visibility for its female characters. The first Black Panther film, in particular, does a valiant job in shining the spotlight on the above-mentioned characters.With the supporting cast given expanded roles in the sequel, its female characters are said to be centred within the film and do more than just simply hang out on the sidelines.
In the trailer, Bassett’s Ramonda can be seen trying to guide and heal the grieving country after the death of her son. Wright’s Shuri, meanwhile, is rumoured as the top contender to take up the Black Panther mantle.
The new cast members added to the fold are equally impressive with depth to their characters. Dominique Thorne, who makes her debut as Riri Williams/Ironheart, portrays a genius inventor who draws comparisons with Iron Man.
British Academy Award-winning actress Michaela Coel will play Aneka, the Dora Milaje’s combat trainer. With the introduction of Aneka, the Midnight Angels, an all-female strike force made up of the best Dora Milaje, will also be featured in the film, as evidenced by the trailer.
Release date
While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to hit theatres in the United States on 11 November 2022, its Singapore release date has not been confirmed. However, given the past Marvel movies, it does seem likely that the film will be released in Singapore theatres a day before its US release.
In the meantime, catch up on the trailer above.
Text: CHERYL LAI-LIM/ Her World