The Real Reason Marvel Didn't Recast T'Challa for 'Black Panther', Stan Lee Left THIS Message
Wakanda forever. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige addressed the fate of "Black Panther" and the reason late actor Chadwick Boseman was not recast for the film.
Chadwick Boseman made his Marvel cinematic universe debut in 2016 as T'Challa AKA Black Panther in the film, "Captain America: Civil War". Eventually, he starred in his own film in 2018, "Black Panther", and reprised his role in "Avengers: Infinity War" in 2018 and "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019.
However, the "21 Bridges" star had been quietly battling stage III colon cancer in 2016 and, later on, died on August 28, 2020, at the age of 43.
With the sudden loss of the 43-year-old actor, Marvel studios and the rest of the world are still mourning Chadwick's death. In a recent interview with Empire, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and Director Ryan Coogler opened up on their decision not to recast King T'Challa in the upcoming "Black Panther" sequel and references the late Stan Lee's vision of the Marvel cinematic universe.
"It just felt like it was much too soon to recast," Kevin Feige told Empire. "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. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story."
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Fate of the 'Black Panther' Sequel?
In 2020, Marvel Studios' EVP Victoria Alonso explained their decision not to recast Boseman or use CGI to reprise his role in the sequel. They attributed it to the reason that "there's only one Chadwick' and that the sequel was originally set to give supporting characters an expanded role in the story.
"The conversations were entirely about, yes, 'What do we do next?'" Feige explained in the recent interview with Empire. "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."
With that said, "Black Panther" stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, and Danny Sapani will be reprising their roles in the upcoming "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" film. The sequel is set to release theatrically on November 11, 2022.
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