Marvel delays the release date of Black Panther 2 four months from July 8, 2022, to November 11, 2022. The sequel, which will be subtitled Wakanda Forever, is a follow-up to 2018's Black Panther. The original film starred the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, the newly minted king of Wakanda. After Boseman's tragic death in 2020, questions about how the sequel would proceed arose. Marvel executives assured that Boseman would not be recast or recreated using CGI and Wakanda Forever would pay proper tribute to Boseman.
Still, director Ryan Coogler is tight-lipped about who will take on the crown after T'Challa, and not much is known about Black Panther 2. One exciting aspect, though, is that Dominique Thorne will make her debut as Riri Williams/Ironheart before continuing on to her own Disney+ series. Anticipation for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been extremely high, not only because fans are excited to see how the film says goodbye to Boseman, but because the original film was one of the most well-reviewed entries in the entire MCU, quickly becoming a fan-favorite.
Black Panther 2's release date delay from July to November 2022 comes amidst several other MCU schedule changes. Reportedly, the delay is related to production, not box office returns. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, studios have been delaying their major releases until people are more comfortable returning to theaters, but this is apparently not why Marvel has rearranged its release calendar this time. Black Panther 2 is set to have an exclusive 45-day theatrical release window after the debacle with Black Widow's simultaneous streaming release.
While the delay is disappointing, it could also point to something exciting: typically, studios tend to release films for which they plan to mount Oscars campaigns toward the end of the year to keep their strongest titles fresh in Academy voters' minds. Black Panther made history by becoming the first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and it also became the first MCU film to earn an Oscar (it won for both Best Costume Design and Best Production Design). With its new November release date, Marvel could be gunning for more Oscars with Black Panther 2.
Of course, awards attention isn't the only metric of success Marvel needs to consider when it comes to Black Panther 2. Threading the needle of Boseman's death will be difficult and making sure the film properly venerates his legacy should be of the utmost importance. As the first Black person to headline their own MCU film, Boseman — and by extension, T'Challa — was more than just an incredible superhero; he was an icon, a revolutionary, and someone truly worthy of the Wakandan crown. So if Marvel needs four more months to make sure Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is perfect, they should take it; arguably, there's more at stake with this film than any other in the MCU.
Source: Disney