Letitia Wright says second Black Panther film honours Chadwick Boseman

Actress Letitia Wright has said the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have “honoured” the late Chadwick Boseman with their approach to the film.

Boseman, who played the lead role in the first instalment of the ground-breaking Marvel blockbuster, died in 2020, aged 43, following a private four-year battle with colon cancer.

Speaking to Variety magazine at the Cannes Film Festival, Wright said: “It is an incredible honour for Chadwick Boseman, it’s jam packed with exciting stuff.”

The 28-year-old Guyanese-born British actress, who plays Shuri in the films, added: “We honoured him by committing ourselves to the story that he started, the legacy that he started with this franchise.

“And we just committed every day to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced — and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations — but we came together as a team, and we poured everything into this movie, so I’m excited for you to see it.”

The film, which is directed by Ryan Coogler, is due to be released in November this year – more than four years after the release of the first film.

Boseman’s role as T’Challa will not be recast or digitally re-created in the second film.

Filming of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was forced to halt for almost two months after Wright sustained a shoulder injury and concussion after an accident on set in August last year.

Wright was also previously accused of sharing anti-vaccinate views while on set – which she subsequently denied.

In December 2020 she was widely criticised for sharing a video questioning the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in UK cinemas on November 11.