Daniel Kaluuya has confirmed he won’t be appearing in Black Panther 2.
Kaluuya played W’Kabi in the first film, who was the best friend to T’Challa/Black Panther (played by the late Chadwick Boseman) and the husband of Okoye (played by Danai Gurira).
Rotten Tomatoes Awards Editor Jacqueline Coley first to break the news on Twitter, revealing that the actor won’t be reprising his role in the highly-anticipated sequel.
The actor said he wasn't able to be in the movie due to scheduling conflicts.
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He's set to star in Jordan Peel’s Nope, which was filming at the same time.
Despite Kaluuya not appearing in the Marvel flick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still set to be released on November 11 this year.
But the film has also been plagued by the death of its leading star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away from colon cancer in 2020.
Boseman’s passing has left many fans wondering how the Black Panther story would unfold as production was forced to shut down for a couple of months after his death, according to GameRant.
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Leitita Wright, who plays the actor’s sister in the film, spoke with Variety at Cannes Film Festival, revealing the upcoming movie would be a tribute to the star.
She said: “We honoured him by committing ourselves to the story that he started, the legacy that he started with this franchise, and we just committed every day to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced — and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations — but we came together as a team, and we poured everything into this movie, so I’m excited for you to see it.”
Lupita Nyong'o also disclosed to Yahoo! that the film’s director Ryan Coogler has been tirelessly working on rewriting the script to capture Boseman’s 'spirit' despite his absence.
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She said: “We have a leader in Ryan, who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well.
“And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world.
"So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this.
“And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honouring what he started with us and holding his light through it.”
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The news of Boseman's death sent shockwaves worldwide, as the actor, who was diagnosed at stage 3 in 2016, never publicly spoke about his illness.
Following the news, countless tributes poured out honouring the late actor.
Denzel Washington issued a statement that read: “He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman.”
While appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Boseman's Black Panther co-star, Angela Basset, also recalled first meeting the 43-year-old actor when she was given an honorary PhD at Howard University, and Boseman was her student guide.
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She added: “We sat next to each other every morning in the makeup chair. You know, as we’re getting our lines and our accents and our work together for the day … He’s just amazing, and he reminded me of that.”
Featured Image Credit: The Photo Access / Alamy Live News. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.Topics: News, Marvel, Black Panther, TV and Film, Celebrity, Chadwick Boseman
