Letitia Wright is preparing to head back into production for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” after an extended break due to an injury, and after rumors began swirling that she may be replaced because of prior anti-COVID-19 vaccination sentiments she posted on social media.
The 28-year-old actress was hospitalized in August for “minor injuries” that she suffered while performing a stunt on the Marvel film’s set in Boston and has been recovering since than.
Production continued filming as much as they could without her in order to stay on track for the movie’s original July 2022 release date but was forced to shut down in November 2021, when it was revealed that Wright’s injuries were more serious than previously reported.
“What we had initially thought were minor injuries turned out to be much more serious with Letitia suffering a critical shoulder fracture, and a concussion with severe side effects,” said Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito and Nate Moore in a statement.
Now that their Princess Shuri is fully recovered, shooting is reportedly planned to begin again in Atlanta next week, although the film’s release did end up being moved to Nov. 11, 2022.
While the London-based actress was busy trying to get back on her feet, she became the subject of backlash following an article published by “The Hollywood Reporter” which claimed that following her 2020 questioning the COVID-19 vaccination and vaccines in general, “a set source says she has espoused similar views about the COVID-19 vaccines on the Atlanta production.”
After fans began firing back at Wright and rumors began to swirl about whether her views would have an impact on her employment status in the Disney film and Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, the actress defended herself in a since-deleted Instagram post. “It saddens me to have to address the reports published by The Hollywood Reporter on October 6th 2021. The report spoke about my conduct on the set of black Panther 2. I honestly assert that this was completely untrue,” she wrote.
“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me, knows that I work incredibly hard at my craft & my main focus is always to do work that’s impactful and inspiring,” she continued. “That has been & will continue to be my only focus.”
Several sources reportedly told “THR” that her vaccination “issues have been resolved,” but did not directly comment on her vaccination status.
When contacted for comment about Wright’s return to the set, her agent told The Hollywood Reporter, “She always intended to return but just needed to wait until she had fully recovered.”
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