Daniel Kaluuya will not be duplicating his role as W’Kabi in the forthcoming film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Kaluuya played W’Kabi in 2018’s “Black Panther,” the best friend and confidant to T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), and the head of security for the Border Tribe.
According to Variety, Kaluuya was asked to return, but had already devoted himself to starring in Jordan Peele’s upcoming horror film “Nope.” Kaluuya was Oscar-nominated for his starring role in Peele’s 2017 hit “Get Out.”
Jacqueline Coley of Rotten Tomatoes first tweeted the news on Wednesday.
The production of “Wakanda Forever,” directed by Ryan Coogler, was wrapped in March, and the film is arranged to debut on November 11.
Following the death of Boseman in 2020, Marvel decided not to change the role of T’Challa. The sequel will instead explore other characters from the world of “Black Panther,” while also cherishing the legacy Boseman left behind.
Though it had been verified that original film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett would return, Kaluuya’s status in the second film had been unsettled until now.
“Wakanda Forever” also stars Dominique Thorne as a genius inventor, as well as Michaela Coel and Tenoch Huerta in unrevealed roles.
Kaluuya is currently gearing up for the release of “Nope” on July 22. The sci-fi horror film stars Kaluuya alongside Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun, and follows the residents of a deserted town who witness an unusual event involving a UFO and set out to investigate it.
