Next month, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has the unenviable task of pushing the franchise forward while also mourning both Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa, the character he portrayed. Boseman’s unexpected death in 2020 caught even his close friends and collegues off-guard, including Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Coogler confirmed that he and Joe Robert Cole wrote an entirely different script for the original Black Panther 2 that would have featured Boseman reprising his role as the title hero.
“The script we wrote before Chadwick passed was very much rooted in T’Challa’s perspective,” noted Coogler. “It was a massive movie, but also simultaneously a character study that delved deeply into his psyche and situation.”
In light of Boseman’s passing, Marvel and Coogler decided not to recast T’Challa. Instead, Wakanda Forever acknowledges the death of T’Challa and offers a final tribute to Boseman and his legacy.
“Art can be therapeutic, but the process of therapy can be painful, at times tortuous,” said Coogler. “But also at times calming and rewarding. It was all of those things. Sharing that with the cast, who were also in grief, they granted me a lot of grace.”
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However, as seen in the trailers, there is someone new in the Black Panther suit. And for now, Marvel has declined to officially identify which character will pick up the mantle.
“The Black Panther has existed in Wakanda for centuries,” explained Marvel Studios Vice President Nate Moore. “So the notion of someone else picking up the mantle didn’t seem inorganic. But once that had to become a reality, then it was, ‘OK, what makes the most sense for the story? Who actually makes the most sense to take this thing on?’ All of the characters in the film have a different idea of who should don the mantle and why.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters on Friday, November 11.
Do you feel that T’Challa should be recast in the future? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Book 1
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