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Is Letitia Wright out of 'Black Panther 2' as Shuri? Michaela Coel's casting sparks rumors

Letitia Wright faced severe backlash in December 2020 for sharing anti-vaxx and transphobic videos, following which she deactivated her social media

According to latest reports, British actress Michaela Coel has joined the cast of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', fueling speculations if she will replace Letitia Wright in the role of Shuri. It is yet to be disclosed for which role Coel has been cast. Her signing is also not confirmed by the studio and was only revealed by an exclusive Variety report. However, 'Black Panther' fans are already wondering if Marvel has booted Wright from the sequel due to her recent controversies.

Wright disappeared from social media in December 2020 after her 'anti-vaxxer' stance sparked immense controversy. The actress reportedly retweeted conspiracy theory videos that questioned the legitimacy of the Covid-19 vaccine. When podcaster Laura Leishman called her out, saying "You're just too lazy to read a medical journal," Wright responded, "Still have a right to worry about how my body will react. It's not lazy, it's thinking for myself." 

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Many speculate that the actress has also garnered bad blood with Marvel and Disney, due to her problematic stances on many issues. For instance, she had reportedly liked and responded to tweets that spoke about the cancelation of 'Black Panther 2' and recasting Shuri. At that time, Wright was facing backlash on Twitter for resharing an anti-vaxx and transphobic video. Needless to say, Wright was the only cast member from the first movie to be involved in any kind of controversy. 

Following Chadwick Boseman's death, the 'Black Panther' sequel is likely to carry the storyline forward with Shuri as the iconic ruler of Wakanda and the new Black Panther, as her brother passes on the mantle to her in the comics. 

Wright might be removed from the cast in that case and replaced by Michaela Coel as an older Shuri. Nevertheless, nothing can be confirmed until Marvel Studios release details of the sequel plot and confirm the cast members. In the meantime, it is being assumed that original cast members like Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Daniel Kaluuya (W'kabi), Angela Bassett (Ramonda), and others will make a comeback in the second part, but even their casting has not yet been officially confirmed. The film is already being filmed in Atlanta at present, though Marvel Studios has strangely refrained from commenting about the casting.  One said: "Ijs, she could totally play Shuri if they recast from ol' anti-vaxx, transphobic whatsherface." Another social media tried to downplay the possibility saying: "So Shuri is really trending because people think Coel is replacing Wright. I’ll just say that’s unlikely. And if that were the case we probably would know by now. Like how Disney did Gina Carano."

Michaela Coel is now a well-known name in Hollywood, thanks to the critically acclaimed HBO Max series 'I May Destroy You', which fetched her four Emmy nominations. She has also starred previously in web series like 'Black Mirror' and 'Chewing Gum' as well as feature films like 'Been So Long' and 'Star Wars'.