Disney Uncertain How ‘Black Panther’ Will Go On After Chadwick Boseman’s Death
Image via Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
The late Chadwick Boseman had been discreetly fighting colon cancer for over four years until he passed away on 28 August.
Boseman’s illness was kept a secret within his family and a few insiders. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor, who had lost weight in the past months, wanted to keep his cancer private. Until a week prior to his death, he was confident he would beat the sickness and bulk up in time for filming of the Black Panther sequel in March.
The rest of the world, along with Disney and all of his Marvel Cinematic Universe coworkers, only learned of his battle after his death. As the entertainment conglomerate comes to terms with the unfortunate news, it is also grappling to map out how the billion-dollar Black Panther franchise will proceed without its eponymous star.
Boseman’s role is dovetailed into the entire MCU, and he had already appeared in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Marvel Studios had plans to feature him in future interconnected movies, too.
As shared by the Hollywood Reporter, Disney’s Lucasfilm had coped with Carrie Fisher’s death by deciding to proceed without Princess Leia at first, but later added her into the story by combining CG effects with unused footage.
However, CG would not be so practical in this case as Boseman was the leading man of Black Panther.
Disney insiders told the publication that the company is currently focusing on honoring the actor rather than stressing over how the Black Panther sequel will proceed. Regardless, the unprecedented news would have thrown it off its course for Black Panther, if the COVID-19 crisis hadn’t already.
Observers believe there are a number of solutions that Disney can turn to in order to come out of this. Marvel Studios could, for instance, make T’Challa’s sister Shuri (played by Letitia Wright) the next Black Panther, which aligns with parts of the comic book series.
Disney could also replace Boseman with another actor, but this will of course agitate many viewers and incite comparisons between both actors.
[via The Hollywood Reporter, cover image via Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com]
Also check out these recent news
