Due to the current pandemic situation, many movies are pushed back to their release schedule. And especially, MCU’s lineup has been badly affected. However, Marvel announced that Black Panther 2 is set for MCU’s Phase Four launch in 2022. The Marvel Studios President announced this news at D23 Expo. However, from the past two years, the co-writer and director Ryan Coogler and his team has been delaying working on the script. According to him, there are more creative elements that he needs to explore for the Wakanda King, to distinguish between MCU and the comic book’s king character.
Black Panther, written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, is an American superhero film. It’s based on Stan Lee’s Marvel Comics character of the same name. Thousands of years ago, five African tribes battle for the metal vibranium. Out of them, one warrior consumed a heart-shaped herb that enhanced his superhuman abilities. And later, he becomes the first Black Panther. Then he united every tribe to form a nation called Wakanda, which uses vibranium to create advanced technology. However, the Jabri tribe refused to join them and battle for the throne, which they did from generation-to-generation. In the present time, T’Challa claims the throne after his father’s death. However, his cousin returned Wakanda and challenged T’Challa for the throne.
Black Panther 2: When To Expect?
Currently, the co-writer stated that he is not rushing to start working on Black Panther 2. Since he want to create something more appealing and worthy, and Marvel respects his decision. That’s why Marvel decided to give him ample time that he and his team needs. However, it’s been four years when Black Panther first premiered. So it’s quite clear that MCU doesn’t want to push it further. That’s why it set the Black Panther’s sequel as the first movie of MCU’s Phase Four. Recently at D23 Expo Marvel Studios President Kevin Fiege confirmed that Black Panther 2 is all set to release on May 6, 2022.
Ryan Coogler Looking For More Creative Elements
In late 2018, Coogler signed with Marvel to direct and write Black Panther 2. However, he stated that he and his team intentionally not working on the script right now. Because they wanted to create more elements for their Wakanda King. In an interview, Coogler stated that currently, they are struggling to portray T’Challa’s character.
Since he was a teen when he claimed as King in the comic. While in the MCU, he’s a mature man. So, they are currently trying to figure out how to demonstrate his King persona, which would be quite different from what the audience had read.
He said: “What I struggled with first is the difference between T’Challa in the MCU vs. T’Challa in the comic books. And I always believe that the differences lie in how old T’Challa was when he lost his father.” Coogler added that in the comic book, he’s very young when T’Chaka (his father) is killed. However, in the MCU, he’s a man, so those are two different things. In the book, he was a child king who got his throne when he was very young.
He continued: “So when you meet him. You know you are dealing with a guy who’s thirty-four years old who’s been a king for a long time. So he has a different sort of poise and confidence in his position. Whereas, in our film, that character is just settling in. So, I’d be interested to see what kind of King he is with experience. And how that affects his performance in the stories.”