Marvel Studios is days away from releasing their 14th feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Doctor Strange, the first of several new origin stories coming in Phase 3 of the franchise. Since the universe and brand are now well-established, Marvel is experimenting a bit more with how they introduce characters, the best examples being earlier this year with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) appearing in Captain America: Civil War before getting their own films. And while Spider-Man gets his solo outing next year, fans anxiously awaiting Black Panther have to wait until 2018.
The relatively distant release date isn't keeping Black Panther out of headlines however, with Marvel signing Ryan Coogler (Creed) to direct, and casting notable stars Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Forest Whitaker. And they're aren't done yet.
Variety reports that Letitia Wright will be joining the cast of Black Panther as well, where she'll take on the role of Serita. If this is the case, she appears to be an original character for the movie. With three members of the Dora Milaje (Black Panther's elite bodyguards) already cast, Wright could easily step in as another fellow warrior.
Wright is a relative newcomer to feature films and is best known for her work on TV series Banana and Cucumber. Her breakout roles however are both coming in early 2018 with Black Panther and Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. Black Panther begins shooting in several months and picks up the story where T'Challa (Boseman) is the new king and back in the seclusive high-tech nation of Wakanda after the events of Captain America: Civil War.
Outside of the early character announcements, especially that of the antagonist (Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger character), Black Panther story details remain a mystery. We do know from our various chats with Boseman and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige that the movie will explore the origins of Black Panther and help setup the events of fellow 2018 Marvel release, Avengers: Infinity War. Expect more casting announcements in the coming months as pre-production moves close to shooting.
Source: Variety
