Black Panther 2 casts Michaela Coel in unspecified role

Michaela Coel has joined the cast of Black Panther 2 in an unspecified role, Variety reports.

You'll remember Coel from her starring role in HBO's 2020 drama series I May Destroy You, which she also wrote, co-directed, and executive produced. The series centers around Coel's Arabella, a successful writer and Millennial icon struggling to navigate the trauma of sexual assault. Coel also has credits on Netflix's Black Mirror and Chewing Gum, as well as Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the 2018 musical Been So Long.

The Black Panther sequel, officially titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, began production last month in Atlanta. With the tragic exception of the late Chadwick Boseman, the original cast of Black Panther will be returning for the sequel, including Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, Winston Duke as M'Baku, and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross.

During a recent Black Widow fan event, Black Panther 2 director Kevin Feige spoke a bit about what it's like making the sequel absent Boseman. "It's clearly very emotional without Chad [Chadwick Boseman]," he told Variety. "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." 

Boseman, who played King T'Challa in the MCU, died last year after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Disney confirmed in December that Black Panther 2 will not recast Boseman's character, but instead "continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film."

Though we don't know much about the sequel's plot just yet, it won't be too long before we find out. Black Panther 2 is slated for release July 8, 2022 as part of Marvel Phase 4. If you need to get caught up on the MCU before the premiere, here's how to watch all the Marvel movies in order.

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