Production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been paused after Nakia actor Lupita Nyong’o and several other cast and crew members tested positive for COVID-19.
This delay comes on the heels of another, with Nyong’o’s co-star Letitia Wright having just recently returned to set following her recovery from a fractured shoulder and a concussion that she sustained in an incident on the film’s set in November 2021. The positive COVID tests meant that production on Wakanda Forever was again halted, a week after resuming, reported THR. No details regarding the health of Nyong’o or the other cast and crew members were released.
Wakanda Forever is the sequel to 2018’s Black Panther, which starred the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the titular hero and king of the fictional nation of Wakanda. The plot of the upcoming film was restructured after Boseman’s death in 2020, and although details about the story have not yet been revealed, fans have speculated that one of the existing Wakandan characters will take up the mantle of the Black Panther in T’Challa’s place.
Rumors have been circulating that the film will serve as the introduction of Namor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Additionally, actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus was spotted on a set in Atlanta, indicating that her MCU character the Contessa may make an appearance in Wakanda Forever. Michael B. Jordan is reportedly returning as Killmonger, the antagonistic character who was killed at the end of the first movie, now to serve as a spiritual guide on the Ancestral Plane.
Nyong’o plays the role of Nakia, a devoted activist who was also T’Challa’s love interest and potentially his future queen. The actor is also known for her parts in the movies 12 Years a Slave and Us, and for voice roles including Maz Kanata in the Star Wars universe.
Many film and television productions continue to be hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the extensive precautions being taken on sets. Recently, over 50 cast and crew members in Star Trek: Picard tested positive, causing the Paramount+ series to shut down until the outbreak is under control.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled to arrive in theaters Nov. 11, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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