LOS ANGLES: Disney paid tribute to the actor Chadwick Boseman by announcing that his pioneering role in ‘Black Panther’ will not be recast in the sequel.
Boseman died in August after a four-year battle with colon cancer and never publicly discussed his condition. His death raising doubts over the sequel to one of the record-breaking Marvel films.
“His portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past — and it’s for that reason that we will not recast the character,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Disney’s investor day.
A planned sequel to the 2018 hit – which saw Boseman play the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the franchise – will still go ahead using “all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.”
“To honor the legacy that Chad helped us build through his portrayal of the king of Wakanda, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda,” with returning director Ryan Coogler “hard at work on the sequel now,” added Feige.
READ MORE: ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies after battling colon cancer
The original ‘Black Panther,’ set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences It became the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing over $1 billion worldwide. The sequel is due in theaters in July 2022.
In a packed presentation covering more than 20 upcoming Marvel films and series, Feige announced that a new ‘Fantastic Four’ movie will be directed by Jon Watts, who helped to reinvigorate the ‘Spider Man’ films.
Disney acquired the movie rights to the ‘Fantastic Four’ characters with its recent takeover of the rival Fox film studio, which had produced a 2015 flop based on the comic books. Among other Marvel film announcements, Christian Bale joins ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ as the sequel’s villain, with filming due to start next month.
Samuel L Jackson reprises his role in the franchise for ‘Secret Invasion’ on the Disney+ streaming service, which Feige hyped as “arguably the biggest crossover comic event in the last 20 years.”
With Robert Downey Jr’s popular Iron Man character having seemingly departed the Marvel films, actress Dominique Thorne will star in new series ‘Ironheart’ about a female genius inventor with an advanced suit of armor.
Marvel film veteran Don Cheadle will reprise his role for ‘Armor Wars’, also a Disney+ series. Feige confirmed the long-delayed ‘Black Widow’ superhero movie starring Scarlett Johansson will return to the big screen in May.
