Black Panther 3 Is Already In The Works, But It's Going To Take Some Time

Hold on a second. Doesn't it feel like "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" only just came out? Aren't we still safely within the comfortable confines of the year 2022? Where is the time even going?

Minor public meltdowns over the fleetingness of life and the construct of time aside, fans of all stripes have been downright spoiled in terms of blockbuster offerings in recent months. "Top Gun: Maverick" singlehandedly provided thrills and emotion in equal measure, "Avatar: The Way of Water" keeps trucking along on its way to achieving box office immortality, and, most notably, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" turned out better than it had any right to be after the shocking passing of star Chadwick Boseman. Much has been written about how director Ryan Coogler, his creative team, and the cast and crew all had to scramble to salvage the story in the aftermath of such an indescribable loss. The final result, incredibly enough, turned out to be a thoroughly moving tribute to the legacy of both Boseman and T'Challa.

But because this is the perpetual Marvel machine, that inevitably means that the topic of any given day simply has to turn toward what's next. And, in this case, that means looking ahead to "Black Panther 3." With Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe wrapped up and the entirety of Phase 5 mapped out, it's tough to figure out where the threequel could theoretically fit in. According to star Letitia Wright, however, the third film is already "in the works" ... but, not surprisingly, it may take a little while before audiences next see the Wakandans on the big screen in another solo movie.

Even at the best of times, moviemaking is a grueling process. Factor in a $200+ million production, a dauntingly compressed schedule, and the pressure to follow up one of the most well-received blockbusters on top of it all, and it's easy to see why Ryan Coogler and the rest of the "Black Panther" team would need a long, long vacation after releasing "Wakanda Forever."

There's an argument to be made that the sequel probably should've been delayed significantly in the wake of Chadwick Boseman's passing, allowing everyone involved to go through the grieving process and perhaps even figure out a plan to recast T'Challa. By all accounts, that scenario was never even an option, but at least it seems that "Black Panther 3" will be given all the time and space to figure out its story that "Wakanda Forever" was never afforded. Variety recently caught up with Shuri actor Letitia Wright, asking her about the status of the next sequel. According to the star:

"I think it's already in the works. You know, we just had a terrific two years of bringing it out and everybody coming together to support it. We need a little bit of a break, we need to regroup and [director] Ryan [Coogler] needs to get back into the lab, so it's going to take a little while, but we're really excited for you guys to see that."

Granted, the franchise under Kevin Feige's leadership has always been somewhat fluid, so things can always change on a dime and even actors like Wright may not be privy to such plans. But should this pan out, fans can look forward to more of Wakanda — just not for another few years, at least.