In the aftermath of actor Letitia Wright’s on-set injuries, Marvel Studios has temporarily halted work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Friday, stating that the reason for the shutdown was due to the “severity” of Wright’s injury, which occurred in August while filming with a stunt rig on site in Boston.
According to the story, Wright left for London immediately after the injury, and the film has been filming around her role of Shuri, but the Atlanta production has already shot everything they can without Wright on site. According to The Wrap, manufacturing will cease the week of Thanksgiving and return in early 2022.
“She had a little bit of a fall, but it’s not too bad,” co-star Angela Bassett said of Wright in an interview earlier this year. “You know, anything like that will shake you up, but she’s just a little, slight, little petite thing. But she is fine and ready to go.”
It is unclear at this point exactly how prominently Shuri factors into Wakanda Forever, as reports have indicated that she will have a more elevated role following the sudden passing of T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman last year. Shuri did previously hold the Black Panther mantle in the comics, so some have speculated that she could have a similar fate within the MCU.
