After the unexpected passing of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020, Marvel Studios announced that they decided not to recast the role of T'Challa in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The decision was met with various responses with some calling it the right call while some also calling it a mistake. Since then, fans have been wondering why Marvel went with that decision and now we finally have the explanation.
Speaking with Empire Magazine, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige explained why they decided to not recast the role of T'Challa in the upcoming sequel after Boseman's death. He also compared their approach to Marvel's ethos in the comics.
"It just felt like it was much too soon to recast," he said. "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 [Coogler] poured that into the story."
After figuring out their next step on the titular hero after Boseman's death, Feige and Coogler started working on how they are going to do the sequel and celebrate the legacy of what Boseman's T'Challa has done.
"The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’," Feige added. "And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about."
Based on the comments, it looks like Feige and Coogler are confident with their decision and you can also feel the difficulty that they experienced when they were figuring out the next step for the character. Whether you agree with them or not, it is still worth seeing how they are going to move on with Wakanda now that its central figure is no longer with us.
Also Read: Letitia Wright Confirms Ryan Coogler Discussed Shuri Becoming Black Panther
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release in theaters on November 11. You can check more details about it here.
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