Source: Marvel Studios / Marvel Studios
With the production of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being halted due to an injury suffered by Letitia Wright on set, fans have begun to campaign for Marvel Studios to recast the role of T’Challa (RIP Chadwick Boseman). This call is persisting even though it was promised that no one would be taking up the mantle of the Black Panther.
Marvel VP of Development Nate Moore reflected on the company’s decision to not bring in a new actor to replace Chadwick Boseman as the king of Wakanda but left open the possibility of a new T’Challa in a different Marvel universe.
During an appearance on the Ringer-Verse podcast, Moore shot down the notion of a new Black Panther in the current MCU saying, “I’m being quite honest. You will not see T’Challa in the MCU 616 universe.”
While that lowkey sucks, that does leave open the possibility that we’d get to see a new T’Challa from one of the different Marvel Multiverses we’re going to be introduced to in the coming future. Though Moore admits that the studio did consider recasting the role of T’Challa, they ultimately decided against it.
“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. Because I think we all feel so much of T’Challa in the MCU on the screen… is tied to Chadwick’s performance,” Moore said.
But momentum for a replacement is gaining momentum amongst fans who are signing a petition to have the role recast especially in the midst of anti-vaxxer Letitia Wright’s injury that caused the film to stop production. According to ETO, #RecastTChalla is gaining steam as the Change.org petition has earned over 22,000 signatures to have Marvel recast the role altogether in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Whether or not it actually convinces Marvel to finally recast the role remains to be seen but at least fans seem more open to the idea of a new Black Panther in the main MCU but at least we’re still getting a new installment in the fan-favorite Marvel franchise.
“You’ve got to keep going when you lose loved ones. I know Chad wouldn’t have wanted us to stop. He was somebody who was so about the collective. Black Panther, that was his movie. He was hired to play that role before anybody else was even thought of, before I was hired, before any of the actresses were hired,” Moore added.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled for release sometime in 2022.
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Photo: Marvel Studios
