Walt Disney and Marvel Studios will not recast Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa character in the next installment of "Black Panther" to honor the late actor.
There will be only one T'Challa: Disney paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman Thursday by announcing that his pioneering role in Black Panther will not be recast in the sequel, as the company set out details of its upcoming Marvel superhero films and series.
Boseman died in August after a four-year battle with colon
cancer, having never publicly discussed his condition, throwing the follow-up
to one of the record-breaking Marvel films' most acclaimed movies into doubt.
"His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic
and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's
past – and it's for that reason that we will not recast the character,"
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Disney's investor day.
But a planned sequel to the 2018 smash hit – that saw
Boseman play the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the
franchise – will still go ahead using "all of the rich and varied
characters introduced in the first film."
"To honour 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," with returning director Ryan Coogler "hard at work on
the sequel now," added Feige.
The original Black Panther, set in the fictional African
kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences, becoming the first
comic book film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing
over $1 billion worldwide.
The sequel is due in theatres in July 2022.