star of the ground-breaking superhero movie “Black Panther,”
died from colon cancer, his publicist told AFP August 28.FREDERIC
J. BROWN / AFP
There will be only one T’Challa: Disney paid tribute to
the late Chadwick Boseman Thursday by announcing that his
pioneering role in “Black Panther” will not be recast in the
sequel, as the company set out details of its upcoming Marvel
superhero films and series.
Boseman died in August after a four-year battle with colon
cancer, having never publicly discussed his condition, throwing the
follow-up to one of the record-breaking Marvel films’ most
acclaimed movies into doubt.
“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.
But a planned sequel to the 2018 smash 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.
The original “Black Panther,” set in the fictional African
kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and audiences, becoming
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.
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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.
Big screen return
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, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
actress Dominique Thorne will star in new series “Ironheart” about
a female genius inventor with an advanced suit of armor.
Marvel films veteran Don Cheadle will reprise his role for
“Armor Wars,” also a Disney+ series.
Amid fears Disney could emulate rival Warner Bros in sending
next year’s blockbusters straight to streaming, Feige confirmed the
long-delayed “Black Widow” superhero movie starring Scarlett
Johansson will “return to the big screen” in May.
At the start of Disney’s investor day Kareem Daniel, head of the
company’s distribution unit, previewed plans to “release roughly 10
Marvel series, 10 ‘Star Wars’ series” as well as 15 Disney series
and 15 Disney films on Disney+ “over the next few years.”
Disney also set out plans for a Pixar “origin story” for popular
“Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear, and a new “Sister Act” sequel
with Whoopi Goldberg returning.
A new series based on the “Alien” films but set on Earth will be
overseen by Noah Hawley (“Fargo”) along with original director
Ridley Scott, while “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will pen
songs for “Encanto,” Disney’s 60th animated film set in a Colombian
world of magic realism.