It had previously been reported that Daniel Kaluuya would be reprising his role of W’Kabi in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it would seem that the actor didn’t return for the sequel after all.
Jacqueline Coley of Rotten Tomatoes recently spoke with Daniel Kaluuya, who confirmed to her that he didn’t return for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever due to scheduling conflicts with Jordan Peele’s Nope. Both films started production last June, and while I’ll miss Kaluuya’s presence in the Black Panther sequel, I can understand why he chose to reunite with Jordan Peele for Nope. W’Kabi was a close friend of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and the husband of Okoye (Danai Gurira) in the first film.
It remains to be seen how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will handle the unexpected death of Chadwick Boseman, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that he hopes the Black Panther sequel would have made Boseman proud. “It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Feige said. “But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud.“
Although Daniel Kaluuya didn’t return for the Black Panther sequel, much of the original cast did come back, including Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, and Florence Kasumba. New additions include Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico), and Dominique Thorne, who will be making her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Riri Williams ahead of the Ironheart series for Disney+. The Black Panther sequel will hit theaters on November 11, 2022. Kaluuya will next be seen in Nope, which will hit theaters on July 22nd.