It felt “much too soon” to recast Chadwick Boseman’s character in the upcoming “Black Panther” movie after the actor’s death, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in a new interview.
Boseman, who played the superhero T’Challa in the first “Black Panther” film, died in August 2020 at age 43 following a private battle with colon cancer. Co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” arrives in theaters Nov. 11.
“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast,” Feige told Empire magazine in a story out Monday. “Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story.”
The first “Black Panther” was a massive hit, grossing more than $1.3 billion globally while earning rave reviews from critics and audiences.