“Wakanda Forever” star Letitia Wright spoke with Variety during the official digital pre-show at the Golden Globes and discussed the anticipated third chapter of the “Black Panther” saga. Wright told Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, “When are we going to get ‘Black Panther 3’ greenlit?”
I think it’s already in the works,” Wright replied. “You know, we’ve had an amazing two years trying to pull it off and everybody’s been supportive. We need a little break, we need to regroup and [director] Ryan [Coogler] is back in the lab, so it’s going to take some time, but you can do it.
We’re very excited to see.” When pressed for more, Wright said, “I always try to put out positive words and positive thoughts, and I believe that good words will manifest, so why am I showing ‘Black Panther 3’?”
Variety’s November 2022 cover story, in “Black Panther Wakanda Forever,” Coogler and Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige spoke about the third chapter. At the time, Coogler “definitely” said, “I don’t know what I’m doing next as a writer and director.” But Feige spoke with Coogler about a third “Black Panther.”
He said he was in “conversations” about the film and that “ideas were pitched back and forth.” Asked if he would ever consider making a “Black Panther” movie without Coogler, Feige demurred, referring to the death of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman.
“After losing Chad, ‘Wakanda’ I go back to what I said when I decided to do ‘Forever’,” he said. “These legends and these teams and these characters deserve to live on and live on long after we’re all gone, and I hope they live on forever in the movies as they have in the comics for 50-plus years.”
Still, Feige added that working without Coogler was “not a priority.” When contacted by Variety, a representative for Marvel Studios declined to comment further. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has grossed $831 million worldwide since its Nov. 11 release date.
