Black Panther 2 was set to continue the incredible legacy left by the history-making first movie, before the tragic news broke that Chadwick Boseman had died at the age of 43.

A movie sequel is about the least of anyone's worries right now, so it's not a surprise that Marvel and Disney haven't commented on what will happen with Black Panther 2 and we'll have to wait for official word to be certain.

Black Panther 2 is probably still going to happen in some form, but there are no easy answers.

Black Panther 2 cast: Who's coming back for Black Panther 2?



The tragic news that Chadwick Boseman had passed away means that Marvel have a decision to make for the sequel.

It's far too early to say what they'll do and there are more important things to worry about, but the likeliest option would be to have Letitia Wright's Shuri take on the Black Panther mantle, rather than recasting T'Challa.

Kevin Winter Getty Images

We can expect to see the likes of Winston Duke (M'Baku), Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Daniel Kaluuya (W'Kabi) and Angela Bassett (Ramonda, T'Challa's mother).

Martin Freeman certainly thinks he'll be back as CIA agent Everett Ross: "As far as I know, I will be in another Black Panther. That's my understanding. As to when that will happen, I don't know."

Nothing has been confirmed though and we shouldn't expect any announcements soon.

As discussed above, Michael B Jordan's intense and troubled villain Erik Killmonger could also be in for a return, potentially in flashbacks. However, there is one way to bring Jordan back that doesn't include flashbacks.

Marvel Studios

When Killmonger initially defeated T'Challa in a trial by combat, he ingested the heart-shaped herb and gained the strength of the Black Panther. That ritual should have formed a spiritual connection with the realm of Bast.

We don't know exactly how this part of the Wakandan afterlife works, but the spirits of T'Challa's ancestors dwell there after death, imparting wisdom to whoever next inherits the Black Panther mantle.

It would make sense if Killmonger's spirit also wound up residing in the realm of Bast, as he has ingested the same herb as everyone else who's wielded the power of the Black Panther.

Related: Black Panther review

Not content with curating the (very good) soundtrack to Black Panther, the Grammy Award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar has revealed he's also eyeing up a role in the film's sequel. It turns out Michael B Jordan's character has been a big influence.

Black Panther 2 release date: When is Black Panther 2 released?

Marvel Studios

Ryan Coogler is attached to write and direct Black Panther 2 and he's bringing back the original creative cast.

It was announced at last year's D23 Expo that the sequel would be released on May, 6, 2022, with production set to start in early 2021. That now seems unlikely, but again, we'll have to wait until any official confirmation from Disney or Marvel.

The May 2022 release date (if it holds) means Black Panther 2 is either one of the final movies of Phase 4 or one of the first in Phase 5.

Black Panther 2 plot: What's Black Panther 2 about?

Any plans that Coogler had for the sequel will now likely have to change, unless the role of T'Challa is recast.

Coogler had previously said that he wanted to explore what T'Challa would be like growing into his role as a king, especially given how different the character is in the MCU from his comic book origin.

He said: "I'd be really interested to see, you know, what kind of king he is with experience and how that affects his performance in the stories."

Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige Jesse Grant Getty Images

Kevin Feige had hinted that he wanted to explore more of Wakandan history in the sequel, which could be a route to go down if they wanted to make it a prequel instead.

"Towards the end of the movie, T'Challa takes the herb again and encounters his father, where he's like, 'Hey, man. We've kind of screwed up, and I want to change it'," he told Entertainment Weekly

"There's that moment where all of the ancestors come behind T'Chaka. We would joke and go, 'I want to see… what's their story? What's that story? Who was Bashenga, the first king of Wakanda? Who's that third to the left, behind T'Chaka? What was their story in Wakanda in 1938? That would be cool'.

"It all starts as conversations like that. The more audiences want to see these stories, the more opportunities we have to explore different places and time."

Black Panther 2 trailer: Any Black Panther 2 footage?

Disney

Even if the 2022 release date stays the same, don't expect any footage until late 2021 because the movie hasn't started production yet and won't for a while.

Black Panther 2 is currently due to be released on May 6, 2022.

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