"It's been a very emotional few years."

The release of the second entry in the 'Black Panther' franchise is bittersweet, but the returning cast is confident that audiences will be on board with what they see.

Following the release of the 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' trailer over the weekend as SDCC, which will be the final entry in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe once it releases this November, there have been a lot of questions being asked to the cast of how the legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman will live on. One of the stars of the blockbuster sequel, Lupita Nyong'o, described the filming process as "therapeutic".

Lupita stars in the franchise as Nakia, a brief love interest of T'Challa, who is set to play a more prominent role in the upcoming film. Speaking with THR this week, she describes losing "our King Chadwick Boseman" as something which she is still processing.

She said: "It’s been a doozy of a few years for everybody. For us as a cast, having lost our King Chadwick Boseman, that was a lot to process, and in many ways, we’re still processing it. When you lose someone, I don’t know when you stop missing them. And of course, we felt it so much, making this film without him."

"To make this film against all odds is a powerful statement unto itself, and I am very proud that we did it," she shared. "It was very therapeutic. It restored a sense of hope for me in making it, and I think we’ve expanded the world of Wakanda in ways that will blow people’s minds — not just Wakanda, but the 'Black Panther' world.

"It’s gonna blow people’s minds, and I just cannot wait until it’s not a secret anymore."

When Lupita Nyong'o was asked about the closing moments of the trailer, which revealed a new person in the Black Panther suit, she teased: "Don’t you just love a good secret?"

"I can confidently say that this movie is made with his memory in the foundation of it," she told E! Online. "And with his spirit very much alive throughout it."

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' will see the return of Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister Shuri, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, T'Challa's mother, and Danai Gurira as fan-favourite Okoye.

A number of new faces will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the film, including Michaela Coel as Aneka, Dominique Thorne as Ironheart, and Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the ruler of an underwater civilisation.

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' hits cinemas on November 11, 2022.