Daniel Kaluuya's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever return has been revealed by the movie's assistant costume designer. Marvel Studios has been working on a Black Panther sequel since shortly after the original movie was released in 2018, when it shattered box-office expectations and earned a Best Picture nomination. Director Ryan Coogler returns for Black Panther 2, which currently has a November 2022 release date. The movie is still happening even after the tragic passing of star Chadwick Boseman in 2020, with Marvel Studios electing to not recast T'Challa.

Without the franchise's original lead, it is expected that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will give other supporting characters bigger roles. This will likely see Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) have more screen time than before. Other confirmed cast members include returnees like Martin Freeman's Everett K. Ross and Angela Bassett's Ramonda, as well as new additions such as Michaela Coel. Black Panther 2's cast is also confirmed to include the MCU debut of Riri Williams a.k.a. Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), and it is heavily rumored that Tenoch Huerta is playing Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Related: Doctor Strange 2: How Professor X Makes Namor's Early MCU Debut Possible

One Black Panther cast member who hasn't been confirmed to return before is Kaluuya, who played W'Kabi in the original movie. It now appears that he will be reprising his role for Black Panther 2, though. Assistant costume designer Stacy Caballero updated the resume on her website, which included confirming her involvement in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her resume lists that she helped make costumes for Bassett, Nyong'o, and Kaluuya - which should confirm that W'Kabi is in the sequel in some capacity, as the costume department wouldn't make costumes for Kaluuya otherwise.

Chadwick Boseman and Daniel Kaluuya

Prior to this reveal, Kaluuya was unsure about returning as W'Kabi for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He said in early 2021 that he didn't know if the sequel had a role for his character,  though this was before he went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah. It's possible that Kaluuya was in the dark at that point about whether he was needed for the sequel. However, it seems that Marvel did call him and arrange for him to return. It is unclear how big of a role Daniel Kaluuya will play in Black Panther 2.

Knowing that W'Kabi is involved in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever means that the sequel can build off his story from the first film. Despite starting off as T'Challa's best friend, he turned on him to align with Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). This meant Black Panther's ending saw W'Kabi arrested by Okoye and the Dora Milaje, and since he and Okoye are in a relationship, the sequel is the perfect place to explore where they stand now, and even what happened to them after Avengers: Infinity War. After all, if rumors of Wakanda going to war with Atlantis prove to be true, W'Kabi and his warriors could be needed to fight back.

More: Killmonger Can't Return To The MCU Without Ruining His Black Panther Story

Source: Stacy Caballero

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