The long-awaited sequel to 'Black Panther' has started production. Here's everything we know so far.

"Black Panther" opened in theaters in 2018 and became a cultural phenomenon. It was the first time a Black superhero was showcased within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Chadwick Boseman took on the role of King T'Challa, the Black Panther, and shepherded a global hit that went on to earn over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and garner the first-ever best picture Oscar nomination for a superhero movie.

But a lot has changed since then.

In the Marvel franchise, Black Panther and his fellow Avengers took down Thanos, marking a major end note in what Marvel had built for the last decade.

But more importantly, offscreen we lost Chadwick Boseman. The actor died on August 28, 2020 after a battle with colon cancer that he was diagnosed with four years earlier.

Despite that, Marvel is pushing forward with the sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

"We're going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud," Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige told Variety of the "Black Panther" franchise continuing without its star.

Feige announced on Tuesday night at the "Black Widow" global fan event that production on the sequel had begun at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta.

Here are all the details we know so far about "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," including its release date, casting, and how it will go forward without Boseman.

Franchise director Ryan Cooler announced at D23 in August 2019 that the movie would initially open on May 6, 2022.

But due to the pandemic, and loss of Boseman, the movie was forced to push back its release date.

Back in May, Marvel released a teaser video enticing audiences with upcoming MCU titles. In it revealed the movie's title for the first time and its current release date of July 8, 2022.

In October 2018, it was announced that Coogler was returning to write and direct the sequel (he co-wrote the first movie with screenwriter Joe Robert Cole).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there was pressure for Coogler to sign on for a sequel "weeks prior and after" the first movie's release, but Coogler took his time making the decision to continue on.

Coogler spent 2019 writing the script and was eyeing a production start of late 2019 or early 2020. It wasn't just the pandemic that changed those plans, there was another surprise: the condition of his lead actor.

In the midst of the pandemic there was the shocking news of Boseman's death on August 28, 2020 due to a secret four-year battle with colon cancer.

For many of his close friends, including Coogler, it was a complete shock. Boseman never revealed his illness to those outside his inner circle, in fact, it was reported that before Boseman's death his agent was negotiating a deal that would have the star pocketing $10 million to star in the "Black Panther" sequel and a $20 million payday for the third movie.

"I wasn't privy to the details of his illness," Coogler wrote in a statement following Boseman's death. "After his family released their statement, I realized that he was living with his illness the entire time I knew him."

"Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering," Coogler continued in part.

Amid social media chatter and rumors of how the franchise could continue on without Boseman, Feige made it clear they were going forward by celebrating their star's legacy and noy by not recasting him.

"Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally," Feige said during a December investor day presentation.

"His portrayal of T'Challa [and] the Black Panther is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past. And it is for that reason that we will not recast the character," Feige added.

In March, Coogler said on Jemele Hill's "Unbothered" podcast that doing the sequel without Boseman "is one of the more profound things that I've ever gone through in my life, having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person."

Back at that 2019 D23 presentation where Coogler announced the movie's initial release date, Feige also added that the director had handed in a treatment for the sequel that featured the movie's villain. However, it's unclear if those story ideas are still in play since the passing of Boseman.

Always close to the vest about details, Feige has since said: "To honor the legacy that Chad helped us build through his portrayal of the king of Wakanda, we want to continue to explore the world and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film."

Disney and Marvel have not yet announced the cast in the sequel, but some of the cast has made it known they are in the second movie.

Both Lupita Nyong'o, who plays undercover spy/T'Challa's love interest Nakia, and Martin Freeman, who plays CIA agent Everett Ross, have confirmed they are in.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that fans can expect Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett to reprise their roles.

Sources told THR that Wright's character, Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister, may have a more prominent role in the sequel.

The return of the first movie's villain, Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, is unlikely. But Jordan has put it out there that if he was asked he would return.

"[I] had a really tough year losing somebody close to me," he told People in January. "And what that means for that franchise is it was devastating."

"But being in that world in a character that I loved playing, and working with [writer/director Ryan Coogler] and all that good stuff, it's family. We created a family over there," he continued. "So to be able to be in that world again is something that, I think, will always be on the table in some capacity."

After making history by becoming the first Black woman ever to win an Oscar in the best costume design category thanks to her work on the first movie, Ruth E. Carter confirmed on the Empire podcast last year that she would be returning for the sequel.

Feige's announcement that the sequel is shooting at Pinewood shouldn't be a surprise for MCU fans.

For the last decade that Atlanta-based studio has been home to many of the Marvel films and now TV series, including "WandaVision."

The movie is also planning to shoot scenes in Worcester, Massachusetts, including at its police department.

With the death of Thanos putting a close to the "Infinity Saga," we now have moved on to "Phase Four" of the MCU.

It kicked off with "Black Widow" and continues with upcoming releases like 2021's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," 2022's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and 2023's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

"Wakanda Forever" shows up smack dab in the middle of this phase, which is a collection of separate movies that all tie into the bigger MCU narrative.

TV shows that came out this year like "WandaVision," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," and "Loki" are also considered part of phase four as well.