The highly anticipated superhero film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has finally been released.
Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the sequel to Black Panther (2018) and is the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of the sequel, the film will have a lot to live up to.
Released in 2018, Black Panther was a commercial and critical success. Grossing $1.3 billion worldwide, it was the second-highest-grossing film of that year, the ninth-highest-grossing of all time and was nominated for seven awards at the 91st Academy Awards, making it the first superhero movie to receive a Best Picture nomination.
Fans have also been curious about which direction the story will take after Chadwick Boseman, who starred as T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, died of colon cancer in August 2020. Marvel has decided not to recast his role and details of the storyline have been kept quiet, including who will be the next Black Panther.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Marvel film.
Who is in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’?
Black Panther is not only considered one of the best films from the Marvel Universe, it was also noted for its cultural significance and its primary cast of black actors.
Ryan Coogler returns to direct the sequel and co-writes the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole.
The film once again stars Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross.
Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta is in the film, and he will play Namor the Sub-Mariner, a Marvel character who first appeared in the comics in 1939. British screenwriter and actress Michaela Coel also joins as Aneka along with Mexican actress Mabel Cadena as Namora, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams and Alex Livinalli as Attuma.
What is ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ about?
In the wake of king T’Challa’s death, queen Ramonda (Bassett) and her daughter Shuri (Wright) along with M’Baku (Duke), Okoye ( Gurira), and the Dora Milaje, the team of women who serve as special forces for Wakanda, are in a fight to protect their nation from new intervening and threatening world powers.
As Wakanda rises up to embrace its future without its king, the heroes must work together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Nyong’o) and Ross (Freeman) to forge a new path for the kingdom.
The trailer revealed an emotional, action-packed story dealing with grief, succession and the threat of war.
While the details aren’t fleshed out, what we saw from the trailer is that this is an epic story with a lot of adventure, fantasy and sci-fi wrapped up in a powerful narrative with very high stakes.
The burning question centred around the film, and touched upon towards the end of the trailer is who will next take the mantle of Black Panther and leader of Wakanda? Spoiler alert: Marvel fans who read the comics will be aware that the title of Black Panther gets passed down through generations and that Shuri, T'Challa's sister, eventually became Black Panther and queen of Wakanda.
While the trailer shows a glimpse of someone in a black and gold version of the superhero suit, we aren’t sure if it’s Shuri or perhaps one of the other female characters.
Has ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ been released in cinemas?
The release date for the film was changed several times owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and Boseman's death. The film was initially set for release in May this year, then moved to July, then October.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in the US on November 11. It was released in the UAE on November 10.
