Black Panther 2 casts I May Destroy You creator/star Michaela Coel in a mystery role... causing fans to question Letitia Wright's part
The cast of Marvel Studios' Black Panther sequel, officially titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is getting larger with the addition of Michaela Coel.
The 33-year-old actress/writer, who stars in and created the HBO hit series I May Destroy You, has joined the ensemble cast of the superhero sequel in an unknown role, according to Variety.
Director Ryan Coogler has already started production on the sequel in Atlanta, with Marvel setting a July 8, 2022 release date.
The news has lead to speculation about whether or not Coel is actually replacing Letitia Wright as the popular character Shuri.
New cast: The cast of Marvel Studios' Black Panther sequel, officially titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is getting larger with the addition of Michaela Coel
Production: Director Ryan Coogler has already started production on the sequel in Atlanta, with Marvel setting a July 8, 2022 release date
Speculate: The news has lead to speculation about whether or not Coel is actually replacing Letitia Wright as the popular character Shuri
Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps, with Coogler directing from a script he co-wrote with his Black Panther co-writer Joe Robert Cole.
One of the few things that have been confirmed about the sequel is that Marvel will not be recasting the late great Chadwick Boseman as T'challa.
Boseman passed away last August at 43 years of age, after a four-year battle with colon cancer, which was never disclosed publicly until after his death.
No recast: One of the few things that have been confirmed about the sequel is that Marvel will not be recasting the late great Chadwick Boseman as T'challa
Battle: Boseman passed away last August at 43 years of age, after a four-year battle with colon cancer, which was never disclosed publicly until after his death
The Variety piece added that no casting has been confirmed yet, which some have seen as suspicious, since filming has already started in Atlanta.
Still, they speculated that Black Panther stars such as Wright, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett are 'expected to return.'
Some have speculated that Wright's controversial tweets about the COVID-19 vaccine - before completely deleting her social media accounts - may have lead to her departure with Marvel.
She also 'liked' tweets calling for the cancellation of Black Panther 2 and recasting her Shuri character, adding more fuel to the fire that Coel is actually replacing Wright.
While Marvel hasn't confirmed Cole's role, or Wright's presence or absence yet, fans have already started speculating that Coel could be replacing Wright.
Twitter user @munacrisis retweeted an IGN article about the casting, adding, 'Replacing Letitia Wright?'
@SpreadableEggs retweeted a Variety story adding, 'It'd be so funny if she's playing Shuri because... you know...'
There have also been rumors that Marvel would cast an older version of Shuri, with @Malik4Play adding, 'I kept hearing theories of Marvel aging Shuri and casting an older version of her that becomes Black Panther. I was meh on that idea but if this IS that...'
Replacing: While Marvel hasn't confirmed Cole's role, or Wright's presence or absence yet, fans have already started speculating that Coel could be replacing Wright
Funny: @SpreadableEggs retweeted a Variety story adding, 'It'd be so funny if she's playing Shuri because... you know...'
Rumors: There have also been rumors that Marvel would cast an older version of Shuri, with @Malik4Play adding, 'I kept hearing theories of Marvel aging Shuri and casting an older version of her that becomes Black Panther. I was meh on that idea but if this IS that...'
The Shuri character ultimately becomes the new Black Panther in the Marvel comics, which would make the replacement of such an important character a very big deal, even though it's not confirmed that Shuri will be the new Black Panther in the sequel.
Still, some, like @pageitchy, think that Coel replacing Wright is 'unlikely,' adding that if they were going to get rid of Wright, they would have did so publicly like Disney did when they fired Gina Carano off of The Mandalorian after making controversial comments online.
@Sammy_Socialite added, 'Not them acting like Michaela Cole gonna take over ass Shuri for Letitia Wright.'
Unlikely: Still, some, like @pageitchy, think that Coel replacing Wright is 'unlikely,' adding that if they were going to get rid of Wright, they would have did so publicly like Disney did when they fired Gina Carano off of The Mandalorian after making controversial comments online
Not them: @Sammy_Socialite added, 'Not them acting like Michaela Cole gonna take over ass Shuri for Letitia Wright'
Still, if Marvel is actually replacing Michaela Coel for Letitia Wright, it wouldn't be the first time they've recast an MCU character.
Terrence Howard played Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes in the first Iron Man in 2008, though he was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2 and all of the subsequent MCU movies.
The second MCU movie, 2008's The Incredible Hulk, starred Edward Norton, though he was ultimately replaced by Mark Ruffalo in 2012's The Avengers.
True?: Still, if Marvel is actually replacing Michaela Coel for Letitia Wright, it wouldn't be the first time they've recast an MCU character
Marvel Studios president and Black Panther producer Kevin Feige revealed in a December 2020 statement that they will not recast Boseman's beloved character.
'Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally. His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past. And it's for that reason that we will not recast the character,' Feige said in his statement last December.
With that being said, it remains unclear how the story will progress in the sequel, though many other actors from the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther will return.
Statement: Marvel Studios president and Black Panther producer Kevin Feige revealed in a December 2020 statement that they will not recast Boseman's beloved character
Bassett revealed earlier this month in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the script is constantly changing, indicating there have been, 'five incarnations of the script, and I hear another one is coming.'
'Of course, with our dear king going on to glory, a lot of things had to be shifted and changed,' Bassett said.
Dear king: 'Of course, with our dear king going on to glory, a lot of things had to be shifted and changed,' Bassett said
New script: Bassett revealed earlier this month in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the script is constantly changing, indicating there have been, 'five incarnations of the script, and I hear another one is coming'
'So, thankfully, Ryan and Joe Robert Cole, they're just such masterful storytellers that they've found a way into this world and hopefully it will be satisfying, I think, for the fans and it will be honorable of our Chad. We love our king,' she said.
Coel starred and created Chewing Gum and had small roles in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Mirror before her breakthrough performance in I May Destroy You.
HBO also picked up her next show, Jan 22, which Coel both stars in and created, which follows her character Arabella and her friends as they, 'navigate new codes of sexual practice in London.'
Breakthrough: Coel starred and created Chewing Gum and had small roles in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Mirror before her breakthrough performance in I May Destroy You
New show: HBO also picked up her next show, Jan 22, which Coel both stars in and created, which follows her character Arabella and her friends as they, 'navigate new codes of sexual practice in London'