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Daniel Kaluuya Will Not Reprise His Role As W'Kabi in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
Due to scheduling conflicts with his upcoming Jordan Peele film Nope, Daniel Kaluuya will not reprise his role as W'Kabi in black panther Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be missing Daniel Kaluuya, who originally starred as W'Kabi in the first film of the installment. On Wednesday (July 13), the news of scheduling conflicts due to the filming of Nope was first confirmed by Jacqueline Coley of Rotten Tomatoes.
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In the 2018 film of the Black Panther franchise, Kaluuya played W'Kabi, chief of the Border Tribe, along with being best friend and confidant of T'Challa, portrayed by the late Chadwick Boseman. In the Jordan Peele-directed Nope, Kaluuya will portray OJ Haywood, who co-owns a ranch with his sister Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer), both encountering a mysterious UFO in their Western town.
Following Boseman's death, Marvel Studios decided not to recast the role of T'Challa. Filming for the Black Panther sequel began at Pinewood Studios in June 2021, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feigetold Variety, also confirming that T'Challa would not be recast.
"But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans," Feige said. "We're going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud."
Original film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett will be in the film, along with new cast additions Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel and Tenoch Huerta.
While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release later this year on November 11, Nope will arrive to theaters on July 22.
