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Will Letitia Wright be replaced as Shuri? Fans demand recast over anti-vax concerns

'Unclear why they're moving mountains,' say fans after injury forces Wright back to London, could complicate return because she is unvaxxed

Actor Letitia Wright is currently facing the wrath of Marvel fans for her anti-vax stance. The 'Black Panther' actor is reportedly spewing anti-vax sentiments on the set of the sequel 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', and it's not the only thing putting the sequel in jeopardy. The actor has also flown back to London, after an injury on set and that has forced filming to shut down temporarily. 

Reportedly, the sequel will resume filming only in early 2022, after Wright recovers from her injury sustained while filming in Boston on August 25. At the time, it was described as "minor", and not expected to impact filming, but that's no longer the case. It's unclear what the extent of the injury is, but it's severe enough to require the actor to leave the US and return home. There have been rumors in the past she would be dropped for her anti-vax stance, but now it appears Marvel fans are starting an unofficial campaign to do so.

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As of November 10, Marvel fans took to Twitter and began sharing anti-Wright tweets, while calling on the studio to recast the character of Shuri. The movement has gained enough steam to trend on Twitter as of the evening, and it shows no sign of letting up. It began after The Hollywood Reporter noted the film could face challenges resuming filming once Wright recovers because she is reportedly unvaxxed.

How Wright's anti-vax stance is hurting the film

In December 2020, Wright first started a major controversy after retweeting a video that questioned Covid-19 vaccines. She reacted to the outrage by tweeting, "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," before deleting the video, and her account. Since then, there have been sporadic reports that Wright has continued to share her anti-vax stance on the set of the film. 

Reportedly, Wright is yet to get her Covid-19 vaccine, and by the looks of things may not get it anytime soon. That could prove to be a major headache for Marvel, because of the CDC's new rules. On November 8, the CDC issued new rules saying all non-immigrant and non-citizen air travelers to the USA would need to be fully vaxxed. Wright is not a US citizen and currently lives in London, where she has gone to recuperate. It's unclear when she will be back, but faces the risk of not being allowed entry into the US, where the film is being shot.

On top of that, major Hollywood studios (Disney included) are now making vaccines mandatory for all on set, the cast included. From October, Disney will roll out a sticker system that requires visible proof of vaccination. Reportedly, it won't affect current productions, but given 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is now on hiatus, it's unclear where the film falls. As a result of these two factors, it could be extremely hard for the movie to resume shooting with Wright, who may not even be allowed to enter the US, let alone the set. 

'Enough of this nonsense'

As a result, fans are now calling on Marvel to recast Shuri, and end their relationship with Wright. "Unclear to me why they're moving mountains to make Letitia/Shuri the new lead when Lupita is right there," one person tweeted in response to the news. Another echoed that sentiment, and said, "Letitia Wright’s increasingly bad takes aren’t even the biggest problem with Shuri being the lead; my issue is that Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia was explicitly setup as wanting to be the Black Panther, she’s an incredible actress, and yet ever since 2018 they’ve forgotten she exists."

A few fans were more vocal. "Just re-cast Shuri, keep it moving and let her clown ass be unvaccinated tbh," one user commented. Another said, "Shut it down and re-cast it. Enough of this nonsense. Also, Shuri is a BRILLIANT SCIENTIST being played by an unrepentant anti-vaxxer who believes in nutty conspiracies. Ridiculous." One user tweeted, "Wright's performance as Shuri was one of the things I liked most about the original, but I'm so disappointed in her recent behaviour. And when push comes to shove, Terrence Howard learned this lesson the hard way. They've filmed everything bar her. She gets jabbed or recast."

"A little difficult to see Shuri as the hero when the actress is literally putting every other crew and cast member in danger daily to make this," one person noted. Another said, "Recast Shuri, Marvel. Just do it. I don’t want Black Panther 2 to be held up any longer than it’s already been because Letitia Wright can’t get her shit together."

Disney is yet to comment on Wright's anti-vax sentiments, and what the CDC's new rules mean for the movie. But, it could force Wright to get jabbed if she is to return. Alternatively, director Ryan Coogler will have to find a new Shuri, which would mean significant reshoots and millions of dollars. The second option does seem likely, given how Marvel was more than happy to dump Terrance Howard, James Gunn, and Edward Norton in the past.