Powerful: 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' teaser trailer is here and we need some tissue
By Patricia Sterling // Movies // EEW Magazine Online
Wakanda Forever, baby! Black Panther is back, and it’s giving everything it’s supposed to give.
On Saturday, Marvel debuted the first teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a sequel to the 2018 mega blockbuster which starred the late Chadwick Boseman as the titular hero, and we need some tissue to catch these tears.
In the follow-up, Wakandans must fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death, according to the film synopsis. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.
At the start, the footage, which was first shared during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, is set to the sound of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"—sung by Nigerian singer and songwriter Temilade Openiyi, professionally known as Tems—then ends with Kendrick Lamar's "Alright."
Nyong'o's character appears first on-screen, followed by appearances from Letitia Wright in all-white and later in tearful scenes on the beach.
The face of Boseman's character, T'Challa, is seen on a mural while Angela Bassett's character, Queen Ramonda, delivers an emotionally charged speech: "I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and now my entire family is gone,” she says. “Have I not given everything?"
The allusion to her family being gone stirs feelings of sadness in fans, as everyone’s mind is on Boseman, the real-life T’Challa, who died in August 2020 from colon cancer.
There are also some newcomers. Tenoch Huerta debuts as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation. An unidentified character's pregnant belly underwater hints at a new baby in Wakanda.
But, who?
I May Destroy You's Michaela Coel is also featured in the trailer preparing for battle. The new film also stars Dominique Thorne, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli.
Boseman's costar Nyong’o, 38, discussed Black Panther 2 in an April 2021 interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. At the time, she said her friend and colleague’s “passing is still extremely raw for me, and I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to step on set and not have him there."
Nyong'o assured fans that Coogler's screenplay gives Boseman the honor he is due. "The way in which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we've all experienced as a cast and as a world," she added.
Jordan and Nyong'o will be starring in the sequel alongside Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett. Daniel Kaluuya will not reprise his role due to a scheduling conflict with his starring role in Jordan Peele’s latest horror movie, Nope.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in theaters Nov. 11.
