As rumours continue to swirl about the Marvel Cinematic Universe getting a new T'Challa, it's become apparent that Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 3 will be a much different movie than most expected.
The supposed soft reboot coming after Avengers: Secret Wars will help with that, of course, but what does Toussaint/T'Challa II's on-screen mother, Nakia actor Lupita Nyong'o, make of the speculation?
"Honestly, I do not put any energy into trying to imagine a future that I have no control of," she told Entertainment Weekly. "So we'll see. And when we know more, we'll know more."
This comes after Black Panther franchise producer Nate Moore addressed the recasting reports while promoting Captain America: Brave New World earlier this month.
"We don't know what the story is, so I couldn't tell you whether or not we're open to recasting," he claimed. "It certainly wasn't our instinct for Wakanda Forever. I'll never say never to anything, but it's too early to talk about any of that stuff. We have to figure out what the story's going to be."
While we remain in the dark when it comes to what's really happening with the MCU's T'Challa, Gladiator II star Denzel Washington has already confirmed he'll appear in the threequel. Who is he playing? Achebe has been named as one possibility, while a wild new rumour points to the Oscar-winner suiting up as Magneto.
Asked for her take on potentially sharing the screen with Washington, Nyong'o played coy. "Well, I won't believe it until I hear it from Ryan himself, because what if Denzel has a role and I don't? Let me stay humble and ignorant until the leader of the pack actually says something."
Letitia Wright was asked about her MCU future late last year and, despite playing coy, all but confirmed that she'll return to the role of Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday.
"If it's, uh, let's just say, let's just say..." the actor teased, clearly choosing her words carefully. "I would like to continue with Shuri. She's one of my favorite characters, such a blessing, honestly, I kid you not. I'm so grateful for her. There's a lot coming up."
Kevin Feige confirmed Black Panther 3 is in the works when he and Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito issued a statement on Moore's planned departure from the studio. "Although we’ll miss [Moore] a great deal, we look forward to watching what he does next while also having the good fortune of working with him in a new way on our next Black Panther movie."
Black Panther 3 doesn't have a confirmed release date.