‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Producer Explains How Letitia Wright’s Stunt Injury Became the ‘Scariest Moment’ of Filming
Making movies are no easy feat. Producers can work tirelessly to anticipate what could possibly go wrong but that is not always enough. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had its fair share of difficulties thrown its way. But, through dedication and focus, it made it to the big screen and even has Academy Awards nominations to celebrate.
The death of Chadwick Boseman came as a shock
The Hollywood Reporter sat down with a few producers who are contenders for the Best Picture Academy Award and discussed how they overcame big challenges to see their movies on the big screen.
Wakanda Forever was in the middle of being scripted when Boseman died. The producer for Wakanda Forever, Nate Moore, spoke about what a shock it was to hear about Boseman’s death and how they handled the news.
Moore said, “Look, it was hard. We were in prep on a movie with T’Challa as the centerpiece, and Chadwick’s passing was a surprise … Ryan and I especially had grown really close to Chad over the years. It felt weird to consider a movie without him because he was so much a part of that character.”
When looking for more answers on how to handle Wakanda Forever, Moore spoke to Boseman’s widow, Simone. About that conversation, Moore said, “Then we really thought about it and talked to Simone Boseman, his wife, and realized on our own and collectively that Chad would’ve wanted us to continue.”
Recasting was never a consideration because of how much energy Boseman put into the first film. Moore explained:
“Chad was investing so much of his spiritual energy into that film, and to not have him in this film was terrifying. That’s why recasting also was never a consideration. We would be doing anybody a disservice, frankly, to say, ‘Hey, stand in those shoes.’ You can’t stand in those shoes.”
Moore credits the dedication of the Wakanda Forever crew for its success. Even when there were so many unknowns after Boseman’s passing, the crew stayed together and continued to work on what they did know.
An injured actor was terrifying for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ producer Nate Moore
Moore was asked what the scariest moment was for him while filming Wakanda Forever.
He said, “the scariest moment was actually when Tish [Letitia Wright] got injured…I got a call in the middle of the night from the ambulance. That is terrifying because it’s not just about the movie at that point, it’s about a person, and a person I’ve known for years.”
Moore knew that as the producer he was responsible for Wright. He said, “Figuring out the schedule was almost the easier part than figuring out how to get Tish’s head right and to get her the help she needed, both physically and mentally. That was a huge, traumatic thing for her to go through.”
Moore’s support helped Wright to make the return she needed to make.
Letitia Wright’s injury was not the only problem
Wright’s injury was not the only problem she caused for the filming of Wakanda Forever. The sequel was filmed during the height of employer vaccination mandates. Wright stuck to her personal beliefs and did not get vaccinated. She also openly shared her beliefs on the set during filming.
Wright also took her beliefs to Twitter when she posted a video that questions receiving the vaccine. When questioned, Wright got into online arguments supporting her right to ask questions. And then Wright liked a tweet that called for the cancellation of Wakanda Forever.
Wright tweeted, “My intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies. Nothing else.”
