Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige opened up about the reasons behind not recasting the part of T’Challa inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverafter the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman. He also spoke about how the deceased star had impacted the role and the character going forward.
Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, 2018’sBlack Panthertells the story of T’Challa, a warrior prince who ascends the throne of the fictional African ethnostate of Wakanda, an isolationist nation with futuristic technology based on the rare resource Vibranium, after the death of his father. After this, he faces a challenge to his rule and the nation’s isolationist ethos in the form of Killmonger, the son of a dogmatic Wakandan revolutionary and the brother of T’Challa’s father. The film received widespread acclaim andelevated the talented Bosemanto the level of a cultural icon before his unfortunate passing in 2020 at the age of 43.
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In an interview withEmpire, the Marvel Studios president, who has hadthe next decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universemapped out for some time, revealed that the decision not to recast Boseman’s iconic role in the upcoming sequelBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas not just the right choice for those who worked with him, but also the move that best embodied what Marvel was about. “It just felt like it was much too soon to recast. Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window," Feige said. “And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad.”
While discussing the upcoming sequel toBlack Panther, which began filming in July, Feige commented, “The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’ And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.” He also assured fans that Ryan Coogler poured the feeling of loss into the new movie. Coogler, who wrote and directed the original and returned in that capacity for the sequel, has been very vocal about how Boseman’s passing has affected the creation of a sequel, speaking about how hard it was for him towriteBlack Panther 2without Boseman.
While the sequel has been highly anticipated, some don’t believe any film can live up to the quality and cultural impact of the first. This skepticism might be shared by the minds behind the project, with the film undergoing writing changes after shooting started andBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverreshootsclose to the movie’s release. Whether or not this fine tuning will be enough to do justice to Boseman’s legacy and the first film’s success will be revealed soon enough.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris set for theatrical release on the 11th of November 2022.
