Fans of the "Black Panther" film are calling for Marvel Studios to recast the late Chadwick Boseman’s titular role in the film's upcoming sequel.
Earlier this year, Marvel announced that it would not be recasting the role of T'Challa following Boseman's death explaining that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" would instead focus on other characters. However, with filming having halted following an injury sustained by Leticia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s sister Shuri, and with her alleged anti-vax views causing controversy and sparking speculation that she may be departing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans believe it is time for Marvel to reconsider its decision to not recast the role. By Tuesday, hashtag #RecastTChalla had blown up on social media.
"The world lost a wonderful man in Chadwick Boseman. It needn't lose T'Challa as well. You'll continue giving little black boys their royal hero, while also give a chance to a talented black actor to shine," one Twitter user wrote.
"Yes, Marvel should #RecastTchalla - I didn't know Chadwick Boseman personally, but I think he would be saddened to learn T'challa died with him. The character should live on in the MCU and continue inspire people everywhere," another fan tweeted.
"Chadwick Boseman worked through cancer to give T’Challa life. Now you want to kill off T’Challa despite Chadwick Boseman’s hard work and sacrifice? #RecastTchalla out of respect for Chadwick and the character’s history!" another added.
A petition directed at Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Co-President Louis D'Esposito, and "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler has since emerged stating that removing the character T’Challa "would be at the expense of the audiences (especially Black boys and men) who saw themselves in him."
"By not recasting, it could stifle the opportunity for one of the most popular, leading Black superheroes to add on to their legacy," the petition declared. "The #1 way to kill a legend, is to stop telling their story."
In November, Marvel Studios' vice president of development, Nate Moore, explained during an appearance on the Ringer-Verse podcast that after Boseman's death on Aug. 28, 2020, they found they could not recast him.
"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 said. "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."
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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