Chadwick Boseman’s unfortunate passing left an aura of sadness for the people. Known as King T’Challa aka Black Panther in the MCU, the actor was loved by the people for his iconic role.
It was hard for Disney and Marvel to cope with the loss since Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther was an icon for the people. The decision to go ahead with a sequel to the 2018 Black Panther was a tough decision that Nate Moore had to make, but a decision that he did not regret.
When Marvel Decided To Honour Chadwick Boseman’s Passing
It was a tough ordeal to even comprehend Chadwick Boseman’s untimely death by the executives at Marvel and Disney. As known by the people, the 21 Bridges actor had kept his health problems secret until the very end.
A producer of Marvel Studios, Nate Moore, talked with Deadline about the time when he heard about Boseman’s sudden death and what they had to do for a sequel. The question of even making a sequel or not was put into the discussion, but ended up on the affirmative side. Here’s what Nate Moore had to say about the time in August 2020.
“There’s like… Pardon my French, but ‘Holy shit, what happened?’ And at first… I remember, literally, I was on the treadmill, and I got the call, and I was like, ‘Wait, what happened?’ And then we get on a phone call and your mind is processing it as an idea and not as an emotional experience.”
Nate Moore stated that once he received the news, the dots started connecting in his head regarding Chadwick Boseman’s health conditions.
“Then you start to think about all the, ‘Oh, maybe that’s why X, and Y, and Z was happening.’ And then you process it emotionally and go like, ‘What do we do now?’ Like, should we even make this movie?”
After the news, the people at Disney and Marvel talked about the developing sequel and how to proceed further. Disney even stated that it was up to the people at Marvel whether they even wanted to make a sequel anymore!
“I’ve said this and it’s true, Disney never said, You have to make the movie, so figure it out.’ They said, ‘Well if you don’t have to… don’t make the movie. If you guys don’t wanna make the movie, please don’t make the movie on our account.”
As bad as it sounds, the people decided to make a sequel that paid homage and tribute to Chadwick Boseman and the legacy he left behind. Even in such tough times, the choice of recasting the character never occurred in Nate Moore’s mind since Boseman was not just an actor… but a friend.
Why Chadwick Boseman’s Character Was Never Recast
Describing the heart-breaking loss that Nate Moore suffered, he recalled Chadwick Boseman as not just an actor… but a friend. Moore stated that the thought of recasting the character never crossed his mind since that would have been not ideal.
“Like, how do you respond to the loss of not just your star, but a friend that you made, for me, two movies together with, and not feel like you’re just now going through the motions?”
Furthering the discussion, Nate Moore stated that he had no intention of ever talking about recasting Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa.
“The notion of recasting never crossed my mind… I couldn’t imagine saying to Letitia [Wright], or Angela [Bassett], or Lupita [Nyong’o], ‘Hey, here’s the new T’Challa,’ ’cause we are people, you know, who have to make something we believe in and emotionally can get behind.”
The decision turned out to be a great one since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever portrayed beautifully the loss and grief of a loved one. The sequel gained highly strong reviews and was hailed as one of the finest that the MCU had to offer.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is announced for a streaming release date of 1st February 2023, and will be available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Deadline
