Marvel Studios debuted a new trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earlier today when tickets for the highly-anticipated sequel went on sale, and director Ryan Coogler - who admitted that he considered walking away from the project after Chadwick Boseman passed away - has now broken down the exciting preview during a chat with Entertainment Weekly.
The biggest talking point is, of course, the woman (that much was confirmed in the final shot of the trailer) who will take up the mantle of Black Panther in the wake of T'Challa's death. Shuri seems like the safest bet, but there are other possibilities (Nakia, for example), and Coogler wasn't prepared to let the cat (no pun) out of the bag just yet.
"I had to find a way that I felt like I could keep going and a way that our Black Panther family could keep going," is all the filmmaker would offer when asked about Wakanda's new protector. "I started to come up with a film that had elements of the film that we had just finished writing, but also applied the themes that the people who were hurting just as much as me could actually perform and execute and come out on the other side whole."
Wakanda Forever will mark the MCU debut of a character Marvel Comics fans have been waiting a long time to see in Namor, and the new teaser gives us a first look at the Savage Sub-Mariner taking flight by rather unconventional means.
"I think with making these types of movies, you've got to lean into the weird stuff, or you risk missing what makes it fun," Coogler says of Namor's feathered ankles. "He's got really unique features and things that don't necessarily go together. He can breathe underwater, obviously, but he's got these little wings on his ankles. He's got pointy ears and walks around in his underwear. It's all fun, man."
The movie will also see the introduction of Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, who will use "her incredible intellect to follow in the footsteps of the late Tony Stark."
"The film deals with a lot of things, but one of them is foils — people who exist in contrast, but there's a thread of similarity," Coogler explains. "In this film, we get to see Shuri meet someone who has some things in common with her, but is also very, very different."
What did you guys think of the new trailer? Have another look below.
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. 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. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.