Kevin Feige reveals why Marvel will not recast Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther
Much about 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' was up in the air after the world lost Chadwick Boseman to colon cancer in August 2020. And now, the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster is set to release later this year with director Ryan Coogler helming the project again. While there's no T'Challa, the folks at Burbank and Coogler felt it was "too much too soon" to recast the character.
In an interview with Empire, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige relived the discussions he had with Coogler about moving forward with the film after Boseman's death, and the conversations "were entirely about, yes, 'What do we do next?'" Initially, it was announced that the titular role would not be recast, and earlier this year, executive producer Victoria Alonso said there won't be any digital rendering of the character either.
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In all likelihood, 'Wakanda Forever' might see a new Black Panther, but bringing back T'Challa is unlikely. Chances are Letitia Wright's Shuri might take up the mantle and would be MCU's Black Panther moving forward. From Feige's perspective, it was too much and too early to recast T'Challa.
"Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window," he 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. And Ryan poured that into the story." He added that the conversations about the sequel were all about how they take Boseman's legacy forward. "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."
The official synopsis for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' reads: "Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with Nakia and Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom."
'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' releases on November 11, 2022, in the US.