The tragic passing of actor Chadwick Boseman has left a massive hole in the film industry. The celebrated actor leaves behind an impeccable legacy of groundbreaking roles, including his work as T’Challa in
Black Panther, the first Marvel film with a predominantly Black cast and director. Following the massive success of the 2018 film, which saw it become the ninth highest-grossing film of all time, a sequel was planned for release in 2022. Sadly,
Boseman died in August after a private four-year battle with colon cancer, leaving the future of the
Black Panther franchise in limbo. If and when the second
Black Panther film is released, we now know that it will not include Boseman in CGI form.Marvel Studios Executive Vice President Victoria Alonso confirmed this week that Boseman will not reprise his role as King T’Challa in the upcoming
Black Panther 2 film. "No. There's only one Chadwick, and he's not with us,” Alonso told
Clarin. “Our king, unfortunately, has died in real life, not just in fiction, and we are taking a little time to see how we return to history and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, and terrible to be honest. Chadwick wasn’t only a wonderful human being, every day of the five years we spent together, but also, I believe, that what he did as a character elevated us as a company, and has left his moment on history.”Alonso said that the studio and director Ryan Coogler, who is slated to return for the second film, are still discussing how to move forward with the story of Wakanda in Boseman’s absence. “I know that sometimes in productions, two or three months go by and we say that too much time has passed,”
said Alonso. “But it’s not too much time. We have to really think about what we’re going to do next and how, and decide how we’re going to honor the franchise.”CGI has been used in recent years to include characters played by actors who have died in real life. The most famous examples are Peter Cushing as Moff Tarkin and
Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa in
Star Wars, but both characters only appeared in a handful of scenes. To bring back Boseman as T’Challa using CGI in
Black Panther would mean digitally inserting the actor into the majority of the scenes in the film, which would be a massive technological undertaking — and likely uncomfortable for many audience members, who would prefer the late actor's legacy to remain intact. A single scene with T’Challa saying goodbye to the audience is one thing, but a whole film? No.Production on the superhero sequel was scheduled to begin in March 2021, but that will likely be delayed in light of Boseman’s passing.As for how the film could move forward,
Screenrant has noted the
Black Panther comics saw other characters take on leading roles in subsequent issues of the comic, including T’Challa’s sister Shuri. The character is played by Letitia Wright, and the British actor’s star has continued to rise since the release of
Black Panther in 2018. Wright has since appeared in
Guava Island and Steve McQueen’s
Small Axe and will appear in next year’s star-studded
Death on the Nile. She also reprised her role as a member of Wakanda royalty twice in
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame.The upcoming historical drama
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will mark Boseman’s final on-screen appearance. Starring Viola Davis and produced by Denzel Washington, the biopic will arrive on Netflix on December 18.[video_embed id='2058973']Before you go: The first trailer for Chadwick Boseman’s final film is here[/video_embed]
