Marvel Will Not Recast Black Panther Following Chadwick Boseman's Death

The "Black Panther" sequel will continue, but it will not feature the lead character T'Challa. Rather than recast the role played by the late Chadwick Boseman, Marvel Studios said on Thursday that it would instead 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 react the character," Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said during a Disney presentation for investors, 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."

The sequel is set to be released in early July 2022.

Boseman passed away on Aug. 28 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 that he was ill. Boseman quietly fought the cancer, but at one point while filming for his final role in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," he was overwhelmed by emotion and broke down in tears.

The incident occurred during a scene in which Boseman's character, Levee, angrily challenges the faith of Colman Domingo's character, Cutler.

"We were doing it in a very casual way, and I assumed that when Levee got to the big speech that Chadwick was going to stop. But he didn’t stop," film director George C. Wolfe told The Wall Street Journal earlier this week. "He kept going, and Levee took over — it was raw and explosive. Afterwards, Chadwick just started to sob, and Colman hugged him, and then Chadwick’s girlfriend [Simone Ledward] basically picked him up."

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" will be released by Netflix on Dec. 18.

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