Kevin Feige Explains Why Marvel Didn’t Recast T’Challa for BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
After Chadwick Bousman tragically passed away, a lot of fans were wondering how Marvel Studios would move forward with the Black Panther franchise without him. We will find that out when they release Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. One thing we do know for sure is that they did not recast T’Challa, and the mantle of Black Panther with be passed on to someone else.
I never thought that Marvel would even try to replace T’Challa under the circumstances, but I have seen people say they wouldn’t have minded seeing a new actor in the role of T’Challa. For those of you wondering why that didn’t happen, Kevin Feige explained in an interview with Empire:
“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast. 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 poured that into the story.”
Feige went on to talk about finding a direction to take the story in the wake of Bousman’s death saying:
“The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’ 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.”
Judging from the trailer, it looks like they came up with a powerful story to tell for the sequel, and the fans are incredibly excited about what is coming. There’s a new trailer for the film coming soon. I got a chance to see it at D23 Expo, and I thought is was great! It gives us a much clearer idea of what this story will be.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is being directed by Ryan Coogler, and the movie will bring back Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba, Angela Bassett, and Martin Freeman.
The movie is set to be released on November 11th, 2022.