We are fast approaching a return to Wakanda in the MCU, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set to round out Marvel's 2022 cinema releases in November. The Black Panther sequel is something of a bittersweet entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it is the first movie based in Wakanda to arrive following the death of Chadwick Boseman back in 2020. While the movie is being called an "outpouring of love" for Boseman and his character, T'Challa, star Martin Freeman told Collider that working on the film without the late actor was "odd."
Martin Freeman has been a part of the MCU for several years, having first appeared in Captain America: Civil War as Everett Ross. As well as appearing in Black Panther, and now its sequel, he is also expected to reprise his role in the upcoming Secret Invasion TV series on Disney+, thanks to a leak of sorts by Samuel L Jackson earlier in the year. When it comes to working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, though, Freeman said that while there is no way around the loss of Boseman, he believes that director Ryan Coogler and his team have made a great film. He said:
“It was strange, that side of it. On the one hand, you're making the film that you're there to make, and there are scores and scores of people on set, joined in this endeavor to make the film. But there's also no question that, at the heart of it, there's quite a gap now, and you felt it. With full respect to Ryan Coogler and everybody else, who's sweating and bleeding to get this thing done properly, it was fun. It was enjoyable. I was in and out of it quite quickly, I think. But I like playing Everett Ross. He's a very fun character to play. He's nicely simpatico for the story. He's a good guy.
But it was odd. Of course, it was odd with Chadwick not being there. There's no way around that. I think everyone would find it pretty strange and sad, but at the same time, life things don't just end. It's not like, ‘Well, that's that's happened, so we just all have to go off and never do it again.’ But it was odd. When he passed, I thought, ‘Okay, well maybe there just won't be another one.’ But there are still other stories to tell within that world and other great characters. I think, and I hope that we've made a good film. I trust Ryan Coogler a lot.”
Martin Freeman’s Role in Wakanda Forever May Be Shorter Than Originally Planned
Martin Freeman had a much expanded role in Black Panther after his smaller role in Civil War. Now, based on his comments, his role in the second Black Panther installment will not be anywhere near as significant. Whether that is a direct result of changes made following Boseman's death and the subsequent script rewrites is something that is not known. With Freeman now known to also appear in the Secret Invasion series, it could be that his smaller Black Panther role was always planned.
At the moment, there is very little detail known about either project, and with attention currently elsewhere, it will likely be a few months before we find out how Freeman fits into both projects. While Wakanda Forever is definitely heading to cinemas on November 11, Secret Invasion currently has no set release date on Disney+.