Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler had made it clear that he chose Michaela Coel to play Aneka for a specific reason. “Aneka, the character Michaela plays, is kind of a rebel,” Coogler told Vogue. “It made a lot of meta sense with Michaela being someone who is pushing the industry forward and carving out her own space.” Being a rebel is not just the one reason why Aneka stands out. The character has a relationship with Ayo, who is played by Florence Kasumba. “That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer,” Coel said. “I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.”
The British-Ghanian Coel is well aware of how Ghana still has antigay laws but she continued, “People say, ‘Oh, it’s fine, it’s just politics.’ But I don’t think it is just politics when it affects how people get to live their daily lives.” “That’s why it felt important for me to step in and do that role because I know just by my being Ghanaian, Ghanaians will come,” she added. It’s an inspiring thought and hopefully, this would mean Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be a huge hit in Ghana when it drops this November. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is directed by Ryan Coogler and will also star Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett. They will be joined by Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, Michaela Coel as a new Dora Milaje Aneka, and Tenoch Huerta as Namor. The sequel will premiere in theaters on November 11, 2022.
