Interview: The Cast and Crew of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is back and better than over with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever! This new action and adventure film is perfect for anyone who enjoys superhero stories with lots of heart.
Be sure to check out Black Panther: Wakanda Forever only in theaters on November 11!
Here is the scoop on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever!
The Cast and Crew of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Lupita Nyong’o plays Nakia. Fans will recognize her from her roles in 12 Years A Slave and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Letitia Wright portrays Shuri. Her other works include Death on the Nile and Avengers: Endgame.
Tenoch Huerta Mejía is Namor. Viewers will know him from his precious works like The Forever Purge and Narcos: Mexico.
Danai Gurira plays Okoye. Fans will also recognize her from All Eyez on Me and Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast.
Mabel Cadena plays the role of Namora. Her other works include Asphalt Goddess and Dance of the 41.
Alex Livinalli portrays Attuma. His other works include Mandrake and Dead Silent.
Ryan Coogler is the Director. He directed the first Black Panther film as well as Fruitvale Station and Creed.
Nate Moore is a Producer. His other works include Eternals and Captain America: Civil War.
Kevin Feige is also a Producer. He has been involved in many other Marvel films.
A Team Effort
No movie is complete without an entire team of people working together to make it happen. Director Ryan Coolger discusses how much he enjoys working with everyone from the movie.
He shares, “It was great. And I think that’s one of the great things, when you get to do a series of films, is that you get to have these mini reunions, you know? And it was such an amazing time that we had, making the first one.”
Coolger adds, “It was just great to see some of these folks and give ’em a big giant hug again.” He finishes, “It was awesome. I really feel grateful.”
Remembering a Legend
In August 2020, original Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman passed away. Producer Kevin Feige talks about how the Marvel team for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever worked together to honor Boseman’s passing and create a proper Black Panther story.
Feige says, “Ryan pours everything and all of himself into everything he does, and had been working for almost a year, Ryan, right, on a version of the movie with T’Challa in it. And was finding and pouring his life experience from making the first movie into that.”
He adds, “And then when we lost Chad, all of that, obviously, was then poured into this movie, as well. And keeping the idea of a celebration of Wakanda and the character at the forefront, in addition to the grief that, of course, is gonna come with that.”
Nate Moore adds, “I think, as storytellers, you just want to be as honest as possible with what the characters would experience in the film after they experience the loss of T’Challa. And that is not just grief.”
Moore continues, “It’s also sometimes joy, sometimes humor. It is all of the emotions anyone feels with any profound loss. But we had such a collection of talent and such a collection of characters, who all have a different point of view with that loss.”
He concludes, “I think Ryan found ways to express all the different colors of grief through the ensemble.”
A New Black Panther Story
While the first Black Panther film focuses on T’Challa and his story, this new film obviously has a new story. Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, shares her experience making this sequel.
Letitia Wright talks about Shuri’s character. She says, “We meet her in the first film and she is that ray of sunshine. She’s so clothed and protected in royalty and love. And proud of her big brother taking the step, following on his father’s legacy. And she just wants to create, and I love Shuri in the first one because there was no limit to her, as well.”
Wright continues, “It was like she was the person her brother went to for his protection, his armor. And he encouraged that. Her family encouraged her to be a genius and to be faithfully and wonderfully made. So, we follow on from that. What does that look like, when your heart is broken?”
Letitia also talks about Shuri, “Going through something alongside her fellow family members, in general, and Wakandans. And I think the way it was written and the delicacy, the gentleness of how we approached it.”
She concludes, “We always spoke, we always communicated, at every step of the way. And we were able to bring something that felt real, that felt truthful. And I was able to really give my heart to it and give Shuri a full arc.”
Black Panther’s Oasis
Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia, shares her experience working on the latest Black Panther film after Chadwick’s death. Nyong’o explains, “I remember, in the beginning, reading the script, and I was so envious of Letitia because she gets to be chaotic. And that’s how I felt, I felt raw and, you know, wanted to express it.”
Lupita continues, “It’s not like she has it all figured out, but in the first film, Ryan described her as T’Challa’s oasis. And that really, really resonated with me. And so when I was reading this script and thinking about where she is, I realized that what she was once to T’Challa, she now has the opportunity to offer Shuri.”
She adds, “When we’re talking about the exploration of grief, it’s really grounding to have someone who is, I want to say, befriending of the change for the people in the story, but also for an audience. And the fact that she was T’Challa’s love, in a way I guess it allows an audience to know that it’s okay, you know. It’s okay.”
Nyong’o concludes, “As much as I was frustrated with Ryan for doing that with Nakia, actually playing her was very therapeutic for me. Because I had to look beyond my frustrations with losing Chadwick, and learn from her.”
Wakanda’s Legacy
Wakanda is a powerful place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , and the cast and crew is very happy to help create it. Mabel Cadena , who plays Namora, says, “This movie has a lot of diversity, a lot of colors, a lot of language, and I’m very proud to be part of something like this, because it’s not just a superhero movie.”
Mabel also shares that, “We have an indigenous language for the first time in a movie like this. She adds, “When I watched the movie for the first time, as a Mexican woman and Latin American woman, it’s like oh my god this is amazing.”
Why Audiences Will Love Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
There are so many amazing things that viewers will love about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It has everything from great quotes to intense action.
Audiences will also be able to relate to characters because everybody deals with grief in some way. Ryan Coogler explains, “Death comes for everybody, is the truth of it. And the worst nightmare that you can have is if something were to happen to you, the people who you love and leave behind would be unmoored, would be lost after you were gone.”
He concludes, “We were exploring all of those things.” The best films are the ones that tug at our heartstrings and teach us a lesson, so Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the perfect film for everyone.
Do not miss watching Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, only in theaters on November 11!
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