It's no secret the world is bracing itself for the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. What may be unknown to many, however, are the challenges and struggles the cast endured.
Lead actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer in August of 2020, rocking the entire cast and crew as he didn't share with many people he had been battling cancer since 2016.
A year later, Letitia Wright who plays Shuri was hospitalized during production of the sequel in August of 2021.
Wright told Variety she was filming a motorcycle sequence in Boston when the stunt rig clipped the median and "sheared the bike off."
Wright suffered a fractured shoulder and concussion along with other injuries. Production shut down for the remainder of the year as she recovered, despite Wright's wishes to finish filming.
She shared:
"I'm still processing it. I'm still working through it in therapy."
"It was really traumatic."
Fans shared their support for the cast who faced so many obstacles and shared their excitement over the film.
\u201cIt was hard dealing with Chadwick's death as a fan. This is a beautiful story of how his on-set family and friends worked together to overcome many obstacles to complete this project in his honor. \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc9a #BlackPanther #WakandaForever \nhttps://t.co/kyQcl9WBdF\u201d— Mark Ricks (@Mark Ricks) 1668032800
\u201cAn epic challenge to produce an epic sequel!\n#blackpanther #wakandaforever #RyanCoogler #marvelstudios #Disney #Filmmaking #entertainmentindustry #boxoffice https://t.co/0BnQ4ZKDiE\u201d— Phillip Covell (@Phillip Covell) 1668067464
\u201c@Variety Wishing her love and recovery\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1668012900
#WakandaForever & ever.
Amen. https://t.co/ExMarIVT7h
— 💜🤤💜🧁💜 ☸🕊💜 (@deiustitiaadrem) November 9, 2022
\u201c@MCU_Direct Poor Girl\ud83e\udd7a\u201d— MCU - The Direct (@MCU - The Direct) 1668016996
Wright also shared her gratitude for those around her and their perseverance.
"I had great, great, great medical support, great patience on set."
"I'm just extremely proud of myself. I'm extremely proud of Ryan, of the team, for just the resilience - overcoming adversities every step of the way."
"When I finished filming, I cried like a little baby."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out in theaters now.