Following the unexpected passing of acclaimed actor Chadwick Boseman after a four-year-long brave battle with colon cancer, many rumors have been circulating online regarding Marvel Studios’ potential plans for Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther sequel. One of the many speculations is that the studio was reportedly looking to create a digital life-like double of the late actor to appear in the highly-anticipated MCU film.
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During a recent interview with Clarin, Marvel Studios’ executive vice president Victoria Alonso had the opportunity to address the future of Black Panther by immediately debunking and dismissing the claims of the studio’s rumored intent of using a digital double. Alonso went on to explain that they’re still taking the time to carefully craft the perfect story that would also honor Chadwick Boseman’s legacy as the titular hero/king.
“No,” Alonso said. “There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s not with us. Our king, unfortunately, has died in real life, not just in fiction, and we are taking a little time to see how we return to the story and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, really.”
She continued, “[We] have to think carefully about what we are going to do, and how, and think about how we are going to honor the franchise.”
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther follows T’Challa (Boseman) who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king – and Black Panther – is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.
The film stars the late Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o and Forest Whitaker, Danai Gurira, Oscar nominees Daniel Kaluuya and Angela Bassett. It also features Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Andy Serkis.
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Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the film was directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. Kevin Feige and David J. Grant were producers; and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeffrey Chernov, Nate Moore, and Stan Lee served as executive producers. The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and is currently available on Disney+.
Black Panther received seven nominations at the 91st Academy Awards including Best Picture, with wins for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. Black Panther is the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination and the first MCU film to win an Academy Award. It also received three nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, two wins at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three wins at the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards from 12 nominations, among others.
