As production continues on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in Atlanta, Us star Winston Duke has confirmed that he is indeed reprising his role as the Jabari Tribe leader, M’Baku in Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated sequel. Speaking with Collider, Duke has opened up about the cast’s emotional return to set, while also teasing how special the project is.
“It was very emotional to read the script,” Duke said. “It was emotional to pack to go back to set. But we’re all a bit of a family now and we grieve together, and we’re making something really special,” said Duke.
His confirmation comes after Gunpowder Milkshake star Angela Bassett had recently confirmed her return for the Black Panther sequel, revealing that the script has already undergone five different versions. Duke and Bassett’s characters were last seen by fans during Avengers: Endgame, with M’Baku being one of the people who didn’t get snapped during Infinity War.
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Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.
The sequel will once again be directed and written by Ryan Coogler. It will see the return of most of its original main cast including Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, and Letitia Wright as Shuri. In addition, Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico) has also reportedly been cast as the upcoming film’s antagonist, with some fans and outlets speculating that he might be playing the role of Namor.
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently slated to hit theaters on July 8, 2022, nearly two years following the untimely passing of titular star and acclaimed actor Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 after his four-year-long private battle with colon cancer.
In addition to the MCU sequel, Coogler is also currently developing an untitled Black Panther spin-off series for Disney+, which is being described as an origin series.
