Letitia Wright Remembers Wakanda Forever Set Accident: ‘It Was Really Traumatic’

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Letitia Wright says her on-set accident was “traumatic,” recalling the motorcycle accident that left her with a fractured shoulder, concussion, and other injuries.

“I’m still processing it,” she told Variety. “I’m still working through it in therapy. It was really traumatic.”

The accident occurred during the film’s Boston shoot in August 2021 while Wright was shooting a chase sequence. The shoot involved the use of a “biscuit rig” which allowed the camera to film Wright over the shoulder while riding a motorbike in a real-world environment. According to producer Nate Moore, it “clipped a median and sheared the bike off, and it tumbled.”

Director Ryan Coogler wasn’t present at the time – Wright was shooting the scene with the film’s second unit crew.

“It was about how you can imagine,” said Coogler about getting the call. “I mean, I love these actors. That’s me and Chad’s little sister. Imagine getting that call that your little sister’s hurt. It’s the fucking worst thing in the world.”

Both Coogler and Marvel president Kevin Feige visited Wright in Boston following the accident.

“It was horrifying on any production happening to anybody,” said Feige. “It was particularly harsh on this production that was already, uh…. emotionally strained.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues the story of Black Panther following the death of the original film’s star, Chadwick Boseman. And Wright was determined to finish what she started.

“I just remember wanting to finish my film, man,” she said. “I think that was one of the first things I said to Ryan. And he was like, ‘Tish, you need to recover.’”

Wright then went back to London to heal, and production was paused until January 2022, but she still had to face post-concussion syndrome during the restarted shoot.

“I had great, great, great medical support, great patience on set,” she said. “I’m just extremely proud of myself. I’m extremely proud of Ryan, of the team, for just the resilience — overcoming adversities every step of the way. When I finished filming, I cried like a little baby.”

IGN’s Wakanda Forever review gave it 7/10 and said: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to be a sequel to a cultural juggernaut, a tease of upcoming MCU adventures, and of course, a loving farewell. There are stretches where the struggle to balance those mandates scatters the focus of the story, but nuanced and committed performances from the returning cast keep it grounded when it counts. Tenoch Huerta Mejía’s Namor is a strong foil to Shuri, challenging both her ideology and her grieving process, and his nation of Talokan gets a thoughtful (if rushed) history to complement the film’s themes of colonialism. Director/co-writer Ryan Coogler’s efforts are at their most powerful when Wakanda Forever is in conversation with the loss of T’Challa – of Chadwick Boseman. The specifics of Wakanda Forever’s long-winded plot will likely leave little impact, but that doesn’t stop the new Black Panther from standing tall.”

Want to read more about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? Check out the Black Panther 2 plot from before the film was rewritten and find out why “Namor” is pronounced in different ways.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.