There’s a reason why Chadwick Boseman’s character in the “Black Panther” sequel was not recast following his death in 2020.
In an interview with Empire magazine, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said “It just felt like it was much too soon” to recast the late actor, who died at the age of 43 from colon cancer.
“Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. 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,” Feige said.”The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And [director] Ryan [Coogler] poured that into the story.”
Boseman’s death came as a shock to many “Black Panther” fans as he had not gone public with his illness. There has been speculation as to how the franchise would handle his passing.
Feige said Coogler and his team got to work figuring out the direction they wanted to take the sequel.
“The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’” Feige told the publication. “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.”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters in the US on November 11.