While many details have been kept under wraps for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, what is now known is that Winston Duke's M'Baku will have a much larger role in the highly-anticipated sequel.
In Black Panther, M'Baku is the powerful warrior and leader of Wakanda's mountain tribe, the Jabari. At first protesting T'Challa becoming the new king, he and his fellow warriors decide to help T'Challa and other Wakandans take back the throne from Killmonger. The character also returned in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever resuming filming following star Letitia Wright's set injury that occurred last year and actors testing positive for COVID-19, The Hollywood Reporter has shared that Duke will play a much more prominent role in the sequel, and that the star negotiated a hefty raise. While it's unclear what kind of bigger role he will be playing, Duke will for sure have an expanded role in the film. Marvel reportedly had no comment on the matter.
Following the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman back in August 2020, many fans are still unclear of what direction the sequel is headed. While Boseman's brother shared his support for the idea of recasting the role in order for the character to live on for younger generations, it still appears that the sequel will instead focus on many of the side characters like Nyong'o's Nakia, Wright's Shuri, and Duke's M'Baku. Plus, Feige has also confirmed that Black Panther 2 will explore more of Wakanda's rich history and ancestors, with rumors also suggesting the sequel will introduce the Atlantean villain Namor, who may be played by Narcos: Mexico's Tenoch Huerta.
Think of Namor as Marvel's version of Aquaman from the DC Universe. In the comics, Namor is the son of a mortal sea captain and an Atlantean princess. He seeks to protect his kingdom against any rivals, so seeing two advanced, hidden civilizations that clash together might just be what Black Panther 2 will center on. At the end of Black Panther, T'Challa's goal was to have Wakanda open up and make its resources accessible to the rest of the world, so fans can expect this theme to be explored in greater depth in the sequel.
With filming now resuming, fans can expect more details, including a possible first teaser trailer, to surface in the coming months. Other returning cast members include Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross and Angela Bassett as Ramonda. New additions include Michaela Coel in an undisclosed role and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Iron Heart, a genius inventor who creates a suit that rivals Tony Stark's Iron Man armor.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is finally set to arrive in theaters on November 11th, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter