First footage from the upcoming MCU movie Black Panther

 
Wakanda Forever was screened at CinemaCon. The film, which brings back the original's director Ryan Coogler and also his co-writer Joe Robert Cole, will be without the star Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020.

As per news reports, the footage showed Shuri (Letitia Wright), Nakia ( Lupita Nyong'o') and Okoye (Danai Gurira) leading the forces of Wakanda against an unknown enemy. There are rumours suggesting that Namor, Marvel's equivalent to Aquaman, may be the big villain of the movie, and it may be that Wakanda is fighting the forces of Atlantis.

Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett also return in their respective roles. Dominique Thorne will debut as Riri Williams or Ironheart, a young tech genius who invents a suit of armour that rivals Tony Stark's. She will also appear in a standalone series too. I May Destroy You's Michaela Coel is also in the cast, though we do know in what role.

It is not clear how Coogler and Cole will approach Wakanda Forever in the absence of the franchise's lead actor, and fans are curious. We know there isn't going to be a CGI Boseman and the character is not going to be recast, at least for now. Feige had made that clear while speaking to Deadline in early 2021. He said, "it was always about furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda. There's also the task of honoring and respecting the ongoing learnings and teachings from Chad as well."

The footage understandably focusses on the other three characters, who also impressed in the original. Clearly, Marvel wants Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye to lead the franchise and perhaps Riri can be the next Black Panther.

Boseman died at the age of 43 in 2020 after a four-year-long battle with colon cancer. A South Carolina native, he was already a star when he was cast in the role of T'Challa or Black Panther. He had made his name with the portrayal of baseball star Jackie Robinson alongside Harrison Ford in the 2013 movie 42.

Black Panther, the original that is, was a humongous box office and critical success. With a predominantly African-American cast, it was a game-changer not just for MCU but for Hollywood as well. Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, it had T'Challa returning to his home, Wakanda, to be crowned king after his father dies. Unbeknownst to him, there are impending threats to his throne and his kingdom. It remains the best-reviewed MCU film to date as per Rotten Tomatoes.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will release on November 11, 2022.