One of the most important films in Marvel's Phase 3 - and for society as a whole - was 2018's Black Panther starring Chadwick Boseman.
While COVID-19 delayed the blockbuster film's inevitable sequel, the passing of Chadwick Boseman threw the project into question with fans and the studio itself grappling with if and how to proceed.
In the end, with Ryan Coogler penning the story and back in the director's chair, the film moved forward with the goal of a July 2022 release and the title of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Apart from the bulk of the original cast reprising their roles, coupled with Dominque Thorne cast as Riri Williams or Ironheart, fans know very little about this pivotal project. However, with production now well underway, more information about the sequel has finally come to light.
Black Panther 2 Involves a Mexican Village
A new casting call for "a traditional Mexican village scene" in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was recently posted on Facebook by Tammy Smith Casting - Atlanta.
Men and women are being asked to play "Hispanic Villagers" from ages 18 to 65 years old and kids ages 6 to 7 years old.
This call came from the same casting agency that requested scuba divers for a crime scene taking place by the water for the sequel last August.
Shuri Far From Home?
In 2018, Black Panther ended with T'Challa taking steps to open up Wakanda to the world; and from what fans have learned so far, it sounds like the sequel's stars themselves will be out and about in the world.
In addition to this newly revealed scene involving a populated Mexican village, as well as previous reports about scenes taking place in or near the water (ahem Namor and the Atlanteans), those paying attention to news from the sequel's set also know that the cast not only filmed at MIT but also a car chase in downtown Cambridge, Massachusetts.
It's expected that T'Challa's genius sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, could be the franchise's new lead, and if so, it will be interesting to finally see her outside the lab and carrying on her brother's vision.
Just where her new potential role might take her, and how it all relates to Ironheart at MIT, Namor, and a Mexican village, all remains to be seen.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release in theaters on July 8, 2022.
