Marvel will not be recasting the role of T'Challa in "Black Panther" following Chadwick Boseman's death, and the company's vice president of development, Nate Moore, explained the decision to fans Monday.
"I'm being quite honest: You will not see T'Challa in the MCU 616 universe," Moore said during an appearance on the Ringer-Verse podcast, referencing the primary timeline for the events in Marvel comics. "We couldn't do it."
"When Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with [director Ryan] Coogler about, 'What do we do?' And it was a fast conversation. It wasn't weeks, it was minutes of we had to figure out how to move that franchise on without that character," Moore continued. "Because I think we all feel so much of T'Challa in the MCU on the screen ... is tied to Chadwick's performance."
Moore added, "at no point did we consider recasting" the upcoming "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," even though it was hard to plot the film without Boseman.
"So the challenge for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is telling a story without T'Challa. I think it's a challenge we're up for. So far, what we're getting is great."
Boseman died Aug. 28, 2020, at age 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He did not speak publicly about the diagnosis and only a handful of friends and family members were aware he was ill.
Last year Marvel studios first revealed it would not be recasting the role of T'Challa. Instead it would focus on other characters that were introduced into the original film.
"[Boseman's] 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 re-act the character," Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said during a Disney presentation for investors in December, according to CNN. "However, to honor the legacy that Chad helped us build, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film."
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is slated to hit theaters Nov. 11, 2022.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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