Daniel Kaluuya will not reprise role in Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Academy Award winner Daniel Kaluuya will not be reprising his role as W’Kabi in Marvel's Black Panther sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Rotten Tomatoes journalist Jacqueline Coley first broke the news on Twitter yesterday, writing: "Fresh from my Nope interview with Daniel Kaluuya he did not reprise his role in #BlackPanther2 due to his schedule conflicts w/ #NOPE!"

BREAKING NEWS: Fresh from my NOPE interview with Daniel Kaluuya he did not reprise his role in #BlackPanther2 due to his schedule conflicts w/ #NOPE!

It's official he's not in #BlackPantherWakandaForever

— 🍅Jacqueline🍅 (@THATJacqueline) July 13, 2022

According to Variety, Kaluuya was asked to return to the franchise but had already committed to star in Jordan Peele’s upcoming horror film Nope, which releases in cinemas on July 22. The English actor had a career breakthrough in Peele's directorial debut Get Out in 2017.

Kaluuya played W’Kabi - the confident head of security for Wakanda's Border Tribe and best friend of the late Chadwick Boseman’s character T’Challa - in the original 2018 Black Panther movie, which was directed by Ryan Coogler.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wrapped production in March and is set for release on November 11. It is one of the most anticipated productions of the year due to Black Panther's successes as the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time.

Following Boseman's death in 2020, Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige confirmed that the role of T’Challa will not be recast. The sequel is also said to continue exploring the world of Wakanda in a way that will pay tribute to the late actor but plot details are yet to be revealed.

Boseman was nominated for an Emmy yesterday as a result of his voice acting work.

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A post shared by Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman)

Cast members that will feature in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever include Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Angela Bassett and Winston Duke, as well as Judas and the Black Messiah‘s Dominique Thorne who will be joining the ensemble.

Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the sequel will be the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Kaluuya has received numerous accolades over the course of his career, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the biographical drama Judas and the Black Messiah in 2021, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award and multiple nominations.

Notably, the 32-year-old is the first British actor of African heritage to win an Oscar.