The passing of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman was a crushing blow to fans everywhere. For Marvel, it was also a complicated matter, but one that the company has seemingly dealt with gracefully. Despite this, fans are wary about the film's upcoming sequel Wakanda Forever.
Boseman will not be recast as King T'Challa in Wakanda Forever. At the same time, the sequel takes place after all of the mystical heart-shaped herbs are destroyed. With this in mind, will the sequel even have a superpowered Black Panther?
Wakanda Forever is a “very odd" sequel
In an interview with The Late Night Show, Everett Ross actor Martin Freeman has described the upcoming movie as a “very odd" sequel to the last film. Of course, the sequel has a lot of ground to cover, but Freeman is confident it'll be a “treat" for fans.
"I had a Zoom call with Ryan Coogler, the director and co-writer about seven or eight weeks ago, I suppose,” Freeman explained. He sort of meticulously took me through all of my character's beats in the film. He took me through the film, but incorporating my character's beats. And some of it was really very odd.”
Transcribed via ComicBook
Freeman continued to explain that the director had to continually stop to explain things. Above all things, the actor is hoping that the upcoming movie is a worthy tribute to Chadwick Boseman, although they do want to make a good film as well.
"I think [Coogler] could see from the reaction on my face to some of the things he was saying, my face must have been going [shocked face] like that, because he kept sort of stopping, and he kept going, 'Stay with me, but this is going to work. People are in for, I think, a real treat. I mean we've not done it yet, who knows, we might
“Obviously, the hope is we do the first film justice and we do Chadwick's legacy on it justice and make, hopefully, another good film."
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Who will be the next Black Panther?
Wakanda Forever won't replace Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa, but the mantle of Black Panther will likely be passed on. We've already seen the mantle passed from King to King, but who else could become the Wakandan hero?
Obviously, Martin Freeman won't become the next Black Panther – thank God. However, other previous actors could easily take over the role. For example, Letitia Wright's Shuri could easily become the next protector of Wakanda. Although, would the character’s tech-based background clash with Marvel's plans to bring Ironheart to the MCU?
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