Black Panther tackled a lot of very important subjects, and earned a well-deserved "Best Picture" nod at the Academy Awards. Visually, the movie was perhaps the most beautiful we've seen from Marvel Studios, and much of the credit for that should go to cinematographer Rachel Morrison.
She worked with director Ryan Coogler on Fruitvale Station and was later enlisted for Black Panther, but it seems scheduling conflicts could pose a problem for her returning for Black Panther II.
Talking to The Playlist, Morrison explained that the production start date on her directorial debut, Flint Strong, is likely to clash with the Marvel Studios sequel. "I was supposed to deliver my movie and then a few months later hop on to ‘Black Panther 2. Now, there might be some issue of those overlapping."
"Ryan and I talk regularly," the filmmaker continued. "He called me up cause he had a dream a few ago that he was three weeks into production and this male DP comes out holding a camera and he’s like, ‘That’s not my DP. Where the [frick] is Rachel?’"
"If we had gone back in September, I think we could make it, but now it’s a bit of a moment of truth for everyone to realize if my movie is definitely going back in January that I probably won’t be able to do ‘Panther,’ which is devastating to me," Morrison continued. "If we can’t go back in January and we get pushed into fall of next year, maybe I can do ‘Panther.’"
This gives us an idea of when work is set to start on Black Panther II, but no one could blame the cinematographer for wanting to prioritise a movie she's going to direct over a return to the MCU.
As always, we'll keep you guys updated.