As we're a society that loves to look to the future instead of dwelling in the present, Shuri actress Letitia Wright, Chadwick Boseman, and director Ryan Coogler were all asked about T'Challa's younger sister eventually suiting up as the
Black Panther before the film even hit theaters.
Wright stated that
she's game should Marvel ever call her number but they first have to make it through
Black Panther 2 before even thinking about having Shuri suit up. In another interview with Variety, Wright was a little more candid, revealing that Coogler was actually trying to plant firmer seeds in Black Panther for Shuri's rise but they ultimately didn't come to fruition.
We now have a big clue for what Coogler may have been envisioning before ultimately scrapping the idea. The concept art below from
Marvel’s Black Panther: The Art of the Movie shows that there may have been an iteration of the film that saw Shuri also don a vibranium costume along with her Panther gauntlets.
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.
Black Panther opened in theaters on February 16 and went on to gross $202M USD over the traditional 3-day weekend. Over the 4-day holiday weekend (President's Day), the film is projected to gross just north of $235M USD domestically. Worldwide, the film has amassed $400M+. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has stated that director Ryan Coogler is not under contract to return for a sequel but he and the studio definitely want him to return.