Marvel Studios will begin filming Black Panther 2 in July 2021. The Marvel Cinematic Universe launched the Black Panther franchise in 2018 and it exceeded every expectation. The movie became one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. This made the development of Black Panther 2 an even bigger priority, with Marvel electing to wait for Ryan Coogler's schedule to open up before announcing a May 2022 release date.

However, that was before the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star died after secretly battling cancer for four years. Family, friends, and the rest of the world have been grieving for the last several months, with many still not interested in discussing the status of Black Panther 2. Co-star Letitia Wright mentioned that it will be strange to make a sequel without Boseman present. Disney and Marvel Studios haven't shared any updates on the status of the film, with executives only saying that they're still processing the loss.

Related: Chadwick Boseman: Why The Black Panther Actor Was A Real-Life Hero

According to a report from THR, Marvel Studios is starting to figure out its plan for Black Panther 2. The report notes that the current plan is for filming to begin in Atlanta, Georgia starting July 2021. Production will reportedly last upwards of six months, pointing to the completion of principal photography by the end of next year and well before Black Panther 2's May 6, 2022, release date.

The new production schedule for Black Panther 2 differs slightly from the originally reported plan. It was previously said that the sequel would begin filming in March 2021, but that was before Boseman's passing. The additional four months of prep time will not only be useful in determining what path Black Panther 2 takes without Boseman but also to make up for any lost time caused by the pandemic. This news comes on the heels of Marvel and Disney maintaining Black Panther 2's May 2022 release date. But, the production timeline could make it difficult to hit that date.

Even with this news of when Black Panther 2's filming will begin, the actual content of the movie remains a mystery. Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso already confirmed that they will not digitally recreate Boseman for the sequel, and this new report notes that Letitia Wright's Shuri could receive a bigger role. It has not yet been announced who the villain is going to be, despite rampant speculation that either Doctor Doom or Namor could be the main villain. Since there are still several months to go before production begins, some of these answers likely won't come anytime soon. But, at least there is now an update on the status of Black Panther 2.

MORE: Marvel Theory: Black Panther 2 Introduces Namor (Not As A Villain)

Source: THR

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