Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
- An unconfirmed report suggests that Marvel Studios may recast the role of T’Challa, aka Black Panther, for upcoming MCU movies.
- The news comes more than four years after the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who originally played the role, with T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) later taking over as Wakanda’s protector.
- One theory suggest that the new T’Challa will be from a different part of the multiverse, and not even necessarily a hero.
A new, unconfirmed report suggests that Marvel Studios may be looking to recast the role of T’Challa, also known as the Black Panther, more than four years after the tragic 2020 death of original star Chadwick Boseman.
Reporter Jeff Sneider claimed in his newsletter TheInSneider that contacts at various talent agencies told him that the Disney-owned Marvel was searching for a new actor to play the role. What’s not clear is whether this would be a different iteration of the Wakandan leader from another universe, or another character entirely stepping into the Black Panther persona.
What happened to the original Black Panther?
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
T’Challa, Marvel’s first Black superhero and leader of the fictional African nation of Wakanda — who protects his nation and the world in the guise of the Black Panther – made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016’s ‘Captain America: Civil War.’
Playing the role was actor Chadwick Boseman, who became an immediate fan favorite and was catapulted to super-stardom when his debut solo outing, 2018’s ‘Black Panther,’ grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The film went on to become the first superhero movie nominated for best picture by the Academy Awards and became a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
Boseman followed up that film with smaller appearances in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018) and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019), but was positioned to become one of the MCU’s leaders in both future ‘Avengers’ and ‘Black Panther’ films. What almost no one knew, however, was that Boseman was battling colon cancer, which finally claimed his life in August 2020 and led to a global outpouring of grief for the acclaimed actor.
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
The news appeared to rock Marvel Studios as well, which had to revamp its plans for a second ‘Black Panther’ movie with writer/director Ryan Coogler. Because Boseman had become so strongly identified with the role, the studio pledged that the part would never be recast and that future ‘Black Panther’ movies would focus on other characters from the Wakandan nation.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ which arrived in November 2022 and earned $859 million worldwide, addressed the tragedy by having T’Challa die offscreen in the opening minutes of the film. The rest of the movie saw T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) elevated to the role of Black Panther as she led Wakanda in a battle with the undersea kingdom of Talokan.
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What does “Recasting Black Panther” mean exactly?
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
The notion of ‘recasting Black Panther’ could be open to many different interpretations. The least likely option is that Marvel wants to simply recast the original character, which would be thorny given that both the MCU character and the beloved actor who played him are deceased. Fans were divided at the time of Boseman’s death over whether Marvel should hire a new actor for the part, although that debate seems to have cooled during the ensuing years.
But two other alternatives seem more likely: the first is that a different T’Challa would emerge from one of the many realities that now exist in the Marvel multiverse – perhaps even one who is not a superhero at all and could even be a villain. Following the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom for the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ films, as well as the reported return of former Captain America Chris Evans in an undisclosed role, the mixing and matching of actors and characters from Marvel’s past seems very much on the table.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’. Photo: Marvel Studios Instagram Account.
The other possibility is that the role will be an older version of T’Challa and Nakia’s (Lupita Nyong’o) infant son, who was introduced at the end of ‘Wakanda Forever’ and was also named T’Challa. He could by birthright inherit the Black Panther persona, although that would require a time jump in the franchise to make him at least a teenager.
No actors’ names have been mentioned for the part, but Sneider noted that “an actor was actually offered the role [of T’Challa] this past fall…but they turned it down, not wanting to jeopardize their career momentum by stepping into Boseman’s gigantic shoes.” The reporter added that whoever lands the role would possibly make their debut in one of the upcoming ‘Avengers’ sequels before starring in ‘Black Panther 3.’
And what would that mean for current Black Panther Shuri? With Letitia Wright embroiled in several controversies over the past few years, it’s not unreasonable to speculate that Marvel may want to lessen her involvement in the series.
What is the future of Black Panther?
(L to R) Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige presenting ‘Ironheart’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Following the release of ‘Wakanda Forever,’ news about the future of the ‘Black Panther’ franchise was somewhat fleeting. Coogler is developing a series for Disney+ that would explore other aspects of Wakanda, while the long-delayed ‘Ironheart’ series – featuring the title character, who was introduced in ‘Wakanda Forever’ – is finally scheduled to premiere on the streamer in June 2025.
However, interest in the franchise was reignited in November 2024 when Denzel Washington casually revealed in an interview that Coogler was “writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’” Later that month, it was announced that longtime Marvel exec Nate Moore – who had shepherded both ‘Black Panther’ films to the screen – was leaving the company but would return to produce ‘Black Panther 3’ for the studio, although the film has not been officially announced.
The news reported by Sneider, however, combined with the revelations about Washington and Moore, seem to indicate that ‘Black Panther’ remains very much a going concern for Marvel – and that the pioneering franchise could have a very different look and face going forward.
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
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