Is Letitia Wright's Refusal To Get Vaccinated The Reason Behind The Delays For Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
It was a controversy no one expected from a star no one expected. "Black Panther"'s Letitia Wright, a fan favorite as the little sister to the late Chadwick Boseman's titular superhero, ruffled feathers in December 2020 when she linked to an anti-COVID-19 vaccine video on her now-deleted Twitter page. Per Page Six, the video began with presenter Tomi Arayomi espousing, "I don't understand vaccines medically, but I've always been a little bit of a skeptic of them," elaborating that some such concerns included developing physical abnormalities like children growing "11 fingers and 12 toes."
Wright was lampooned by her own followers for sharing the video ("You couldn't read an article from an actual doctor? Or a scientist?" asked one.) and initially tweeted the assertion (via Page Six), "if you don't conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself....you get cancelled." In a follow-up tweet, she explained, "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."
After Wright suffered an on-set injury in August shooting the sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," the actor recuperated at home as the rest of the cast and crew continued without her. On November 5, however, Variety reported that the entire production has been halted while Wright continued to recover. With reports of Hollywood cracking down on enforcing COVID-19 vaccinations, could Wright's anti-vax stance have come back to haunt her?
Letitia Wright is seemingly unable to return to working on Black Panther sequel if unvaccinated
When the shocking November 5 report surfaced (per Variety) that production has shut down wholly on Marvel's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," some wondered if the timing was related to star Letitia Wright's continued absence after her on-set injury in August. Although the star could simply still be on the mend, sources have informed The Hollywood Reporter that Wright, the lead of the sequel, was unvaccinated against COVID-19, just as Hollywood has begun stricter enforcements of vaccinating working cast and crew.
Per THR, Wright — recuperating at home in London — might not be able to return to set in Atlanta, Georgia if she is unvaccinated. Not only did the CDC begin requiring on November 8 that all non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the U.S. (Wright is not a U.S. citizen, per THR), be fully vaccinated with proof, but Hollywood studios have started following suit. "Nobody wants an Aaron Rodgers situation," one producer told THR. "We're really only considering those who are vaccinated." Another producer about to start a big production told the outlet similarly. "We will not engage with anyone who is not vaccinated," stating that show of proof will be required as well.
When asked, Wright's spokesperson maintained her November 5 statement to THR, which read that as the star recovered from set injuries, she has been "looking forward to returning to work early 2022." Perhaps the question is — can she?