MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / MOVIES

Will Chadwick Boseman be replaced in 'Black Panther II' as T’Challa? Fans say they deserve more of Wakanda King

One fan tweeted, 'Continuing Tchalla story should be at the forefront of every mcu fans mind, cause if yall really cared about boseman then all his movies would be blockbuster hits but they not'

Not only has Chadwick Boseman’s passing left a void in the MCU, but has had fans of ‘Black Panther’ wondering who could possibly replace the late actor in the title role. Rumors were rife that the team was planning on using a digital double for the actor, but they were eventually denied by ‘Black Panther’ executive producer Victoria Alonso giving rise to speculations that Boseman’s character T’Challa would be replaced in ‘Black Panther II’.

However, the rumors were yet again denied by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. According to Deadline, towards the end of Marvel Studios’ presentation at Disney Investor Day on December 10, he confirmed that the cast for T’Challa will not be replaced. Feige reportedly said, “I wanted to acknowledge the devastating loss of a dear friend and member of the Marvel Studios family. Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally. His portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past.”

“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 of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film,” he added further.

Similarly bruising rumors surrounding the usage of a digital double, Alonso said, “No. There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s no longer with us. Sadly, our king has died in real life, not only in fiction, and we’re taking a little time to see how we continue the story and how to honor this chapter of what has unexpectedly happened to us, so painful and terrible to be honest.”

The filming for ‘Black Panther II’ is set to begin in early 2021 and expected to release on July 8, 2022. The creators are yet to reveal other details regarding the sequel, which is written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Boseman died in August after losing the battle with colon cancer. He’s survived by his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward. While the showrunners have decided to not recast T’Challa, fans have noted that the only way they can respect his legacy is by continuing T’Challas’s story arc.

One fan tweeted, "Stop talking about Chadwick's legacy. The legacy is respecting Tchalla. Continuing Tchalla story should be at the forefront of every mcu fans mind, cause if yall really cared about boseman then all his movies would be blockbuster hits but they not." Adding to that another wrote, "Not recasting T'Challa, not continuing the story of that character is even more disrespectful to Chadwick Boseman and all of us fans. We deserved to see more of the King of Wakanda and his story. This will just fall into the same failures that you guys did with Carrie & Leia." Another added, "So...the character that brought so many joy and love...we don’t get that anymore because Chad unfortunately passed away? So there’s no Storm relationship either? T’Challa just dies? How is that best? This makes me so disappointed and sad."