We recently learned that Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday was setting up shop to begin filming in the Middle East, with Letitia Wright (Shuri) one of several cast members photographed having dinner in a restaurant in Bahrain.
During a new interview with Flip Your Wig, Wright was asked about reprising her role as the new Black Panther in the next major MCU event film. The Wakanda Forever star confirmed that she has begun shooting her scenes, and that she will have a "little bit more" to do as Shuri in Doomsday than she did in the previous Avengers movies.
“It’s just an ensemble of greatness, so I was just really excited to just be a part of it. I’ve been a part of it before, but in a smaller way. Now, I have a little bit more.”
Will this additional screen-time have something to do with a storyline involving the debut of a new Black Panther, perhaps?
Wright remained tight-lipped when asked about the rumors that Doomsday will introduce a new Black Panther in the form of an older take on Shuri's nephew, aka T'Challa II, who was introduced in Wakanda Forever's mid-credits scene.
It's hardly surprising that the actress declined to speak about this (potential) plot point, but several reliable sources have reported that a second Panther - whether it turns out to be the OG T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) son or not - will make their MCU debut in Doomsday.
A third Black Panther movie has yet to be officially green-lit, but Marvel's Nate Moore has pretty much confirmed that the project is in the planning stages with director Ryan Coogler set to return to take the helm, so we'd say it's only a matter of time before we get an announcement.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were recently hit with significant delays, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
You can check out the full (for now) Doomsday cast list below.
• Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Lewis Pullman as Sentry
• Florence Pugh as Yelena
• Danny Ramirez as Falcon
• Ian McKellen as Magneto
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky
• Winston Duke as M’Baku
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Kelsey Grammer as Beast
• James Marsden as Cyclops
• Channing Tatum as Gambit
• Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
• Letitia Wright as Black Panther
• Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm
• David Harbour as Red Guardian
• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
• Anthony Mackie as Captain America