Following serious allegations, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta has removed himself from his latest project at Netflix less than a month after the project’s announcement. The project, written by Nicolás Giacobone, has not yet announced a replacement.
Based on the Marvel character of the same name, Black Panther took the MCU by storm in 2018 with its adaptation of its African protagonist. Serving as an origin for T'Challa, the film was a massive success and was praised for its largely diverse cast and stellar world-building. A sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was planned but reworked following the unfortunate passing of leading man Chadwick Boseman and was rumored to cast Tenoch Huerta as the character Namor early on.
Despite having to take swimming lessons to play Namor in Black Panther 2, Huerta managed to embody the villain well enough for a successful MCU debut that fans enjoyed. However, a dark cloud on his promising career has risen through sexual abuse and misconduct allegations from one María Elena Ríos, whom Huerta admitted to being in a “loving, warm and mutually supportive relationship” before separating via a statement earlier in the week. As a result of these accusations, Huerta released a statement obtained by Deadline announcing he has stepped away from his role in Fiesta En La Madriguera. The star denies the allegations, insisting that the relationship “was entirely consensual at all times.”
According to a statement, the actor had a bit to say regarding the departure. “Given the impact of the recent false statements by María Elena Ríos and the damage they have caused, I have no choice but to withdraw from participating in the film Fiesta en la Madriguera,” Huerta said. “It is with great sadness that I do this, but I cannot allow her actions to harm not only me, but also the work of dozens of talented and hard-working people involved in the project. My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.” The accusations have already gone a long way to cast a shadow on Huerta so soon after a breakthrough role that many considered one of the best characters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Fiesta En La Madriguera was announced less than a month ago as part of the upcoming slate of content for Netflix, which has several entertaining projects, such as Chris Hemsworth's Extraction 2. The official synopsis from Netflix reads, “Fiesta en la Madriguera tells the story of Tochtli, a boy who likes hats, dictionaries, samurais, guillotines, and the French. And now, all he wants is a new animal for his private zoo: a Namibian pygmy hippo. His father, Yolcaut, is willing to satisfy his every whim, even if that whim is an endangered exotic animal. Because Yolcaut will always manage.”
Despite the severity of the accusations, Marvel Studios might not take any action until the accusations are proven in the courts in a similar vein to the company not discussing dropping Jonathan Majors even as other companies parted ways. As such, fans will have to wait to see how the truth of the allegations and, consequently, Huerta's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will play out.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available on Disney Plus.
Source: Deadline