“Black Panther” brought about a cultural shift in Hollywood when it premiered in 2018, with the late Chadwick Boseman at the helm as its imperial, charming star. This week, the studio behind the record-breaking film has announced details about producing the sequel without Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August.
Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios president, paid tribute to the character actor who brought T’Challa to life and announced how the film studios would handle “Black Panther II” without the seminal star.
During the Disney Investor Day on Thursday, Feige spoke about the South Carolina native’s ability to inspire through his film presence. Boseman portrayed such historic real-life heroes as Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson and James Brown. He also filmed many of those roles in Atlanta and Georgia, which was not far from his hometown in Anderson, South Carolina.
“I wanted to acknowledge the devastating loss of a dear friend and member of the Marvel Studios family,” Feige said. “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.”
In addition to paying homage, the studio head confirmed T’Challa would not be recast in the upcoming sequel of the film, which follows the story of a royal family living in a fictional African country called Wakanda.
“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.”
The sequel will again be written and directed by Ryan Coogler and is slated for release on July 8, 2022. There were no further details given about the storyline. Earlier this year, a number of other stars of the film were confirmed by industry insiders. Dana Gurira, who plays Okoye, Letitia Wright, who portrays Shuri, and Angela Bassett, who starred as T’Challa’s mom Ramonda, all plan to return, according to reports.
The first film made $1.35 billion at the global box office and scored seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture. It won three Oscars.
Boseman will posthumously appear in his last film next week, Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which also stars Viola Davis.
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