Summary
Marvel is reportedly looking for an actor to be the nextBlack Pantheryears after Chadwick Boseman’s passing. The celebrity who will carry the mantle will reportedly debut in one of the MCU’s biggest films before getting their ownBlack Panthersolo movie.
Boseman made hisMarveldebut as T’Challa, akaBlack Panther, in the 2016 movieCaptain America: Civil War. He starred in his solo movieBlack Pantherin 2018 and reprised his superhero role inAvengers: Infinity War(2018) andAvengers: Endgame(2019). News of Boseman’s death in 2020 due to colon cancer shocked the world because his health condition was not publicly known. Boseman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 and succumbed to his illness after a four-year battle. Marvel Studios decided not to recast the role of T’Challa in honor of Boseman. However, five years later, there are rumors that the studio has changed its mind and will introduce the new Black Panther in one of its upcoming movies.
Movie insider @MyTimeToShineH claims that Marvel Studios has big plans for the newBlack Panther. They will reportedly introduce him in the nextAvengersmovies before giving the lead his own solo film. He will reportedly be introduced inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warswill establish his story forBlack Panther 3. “[The] new T’Challa will first [appear] in the Avengers movies then Black Panther 3,” the insider said. The update about the nextBlack Panther’s debut came on the heels of reports that Marvel is recasting the character. The studio has reportedly approached several actors, including John Boyega (They Cloned Tyron, Pacific Rim Uprising and Star Wars sequel trilogy), Damson Idris (The Commuter, Outside the Wire, Astral, F1) and David Oyelowo (The Water Man, Role Play and The Book of Clarence). However,all three allegedly rejected the offeras they didn’t want to join MCU in that capacity. Other reports claimed Marvel was considering John David Washington (Tenet, The Creator), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Chevalier, Waves) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Brother). However, Pierre is an unlikely choice due to his commitments with DCU’sLanterns.
The news aboutMarvel recastingBlack Pantheris not a complete surprise. Filmmaker Ryan Coogler said in 2022 that recasting the character was possible, but he also acknowledged that it would not be easy. “For me to say we considered recasting as an option, that’s a complicated thing even to say/ Because, like, with these movies, just like my job as a director, I don’t think people fully appreciate a job that is not their own. But the true day-to-day of my job is several hundred days of long days of getting other professionals to believe in ideas I find truthful,” he explained. “My truth is Chadwick is gone from the physical sense; he wasn’t walking through that door…And truth is the well we pull from as artists. Our truth was lost, which is a fact of life; it’s the gift and curse of life. Heroes and great men die.”
Black Pantheris among the fan-favorite superheroes from the MCU. Boseman delivered a charismatic and noble performance asBlack Panther. His humility, grace and dedication to his craft made him even more endearing to fans. There’s no doubt that the role is not easy to fill. It’s probably why Marvel decided not to recast it immediately and focused on other characters within Wakanda for its sequel,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The actors who refused to be the next Black Panther likely said “no” for the same reason.
Other sources claimed that Marvel would not recast T’Challa. Instead, the studio is looking to cast his son, Prince T’Challa. CastingBlack Panther’s son is probably a more likely possibility. This way, Marvel Studios can keep their word about not recasting Boseman’s character while continuing hisBlack Pantherlegacy. BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever’s mid-credits scene revealed that T’Challa had a son, Toussaint. The new character could be positioned as the futureBlack Pantherto continue his father’s legacy.
