Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, leaving in the air the future of the Black Panther saga. The actor was scheduled to reprise his role as T’Challa in the sequel, but his death has forced Marvel to radically change plans in the face of the new film.
“Much of the comics and the first film takes place in the world of Wakanda,” Kevin Feige told Deadline. “Wakanda is a place to explore more in depth with characters and different subcultures. That was always the case and was initially the main focus of the next story,” he said.
“We’re not going to include Chadwick for CGI and we’re not going to modify T’Challa’s casting. Ryan Coogler is working really hard right now on the script with all the respect, love and genius he has, which gives us great “Consolation, so it has always been about promoting the mythology and inspiration of Wakanda. There is also the task of honoring and respecting the learnings and teachings of Chad,” he said.
Prior to these statements by Feige, Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso had already confirmed that the studio would not use visual effects to digitally recreate the image of the late actor. “There’s only one Chadwick and he’s not with us,” he announced. “Our king has sadly died in real life, not just in fiction, and we’re taking some time to see how we go back in history and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, ”he noted.
Pending further details about the plot, Marvel has already set a release date for the film. Black Panther 2 will hit theaters on July 8, 2022.