While there’s still a lot of unknowns regarding the details of the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel given its original star’s recent passing, Martin Freeman has confirmed in a new interview with Collider that he will be returning for Black Panther 2 in the role of fish-out-of-water CIA Agent Everett K. Ross!
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When asked about his return to the role, which Freeman said is “fun to play,” the Emmy and Golden Globe nominee revealed that he currently has “no idea” about what the film is going to look like or about the script itself, but will be meeting with writer/director Ryan Coogler soon to discuss “what shape that’s going to look like.”
“Just before Chadwick died, if my memory serves correctly, the script had gone in,” Freeman said. “They had the script and they were working on the script, and then Chadwick died and sort of immediately thought, ‘Oh, okay, I could see a world where there’s no Black Panther then, because how can you do a Black Panther without Black Panther?’ So, I still don’t know what that’s going to look like. And no, obviously, before Chad died, the idea of doing it without him would have been a stupid idea. It would have been crazy. It was very shocking, and still is very, very strange, that he is not here. So, I’m as curious as you are to see what that will look like and I find out quite soon. All I know is that I’m in it.“
Originally slated for a May 2022 release, it was confirmed during December’s Disney Investor Day that the film was slated for a July 8, 2022 release with production currently slated to begin this July and that Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa would not be recast for the sequel.
Click here to purchase the 2018 acclaimed MCU outing!
The original film starred Boseman as the titular hero and former Prince of Wakanda who returns home to his isolated, technologically-advanced African nation to succeed the throne as the rightful king, but finds his power challenged by the powerful Erik “Killmonger” Stevens and old enemy Ulysses Klaue. Drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the world at risk, T’Challa must rally his allies and unleash the full power of the Black Panther to defeat his foes and protect his people and their culture.
Alongside Boseman, the ensemble cast for the first film included Michael B. Jordan (Without Remorse), Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o (Us) and Forest Whitaker (Godfather of Harlem), Dania Gurira (The Walking Dead), Oscar nominees Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) and Angela Bassett (Mission: Impossible — Fallout), Freeman, Letitia Wright (Small Axe), Winston Duke (Spenser Confidential) and Andy Serkis (The Batman).
Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the film was directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. Kevin Feige and David J. Grant were producers; and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeffrey Chernov, Nate Moore, and Stan Lee served as executive producers. The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and is currently available on Disney+.
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Black Panther received seven nominations at the 91st Academy Awards including Best Picture, with wins for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. Black Panther is the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination and the first MCU film to win an Academy Award. It also received three nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, two wins at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three wins at the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards from 12 nominations, among others.
