The late Chadwick Boseman in ‘Black Panther.’ Picture: Bang Showbiz.
Marvel Studios is reportedly considering a new actor for T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The role was initially played by the late Chadwick Boseman, who debuted in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” before starring in his own movie “Black Panther” two years later, prior to his passing in 2020, and Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider has now claimed Marvel is looking for another actor to take on the role of T’Challa.
Sneider added the studio was only considering recasting T’Challa now that the franchise was exploring the multi-verse and also pointed to “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the series as Doctor Doom in “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” as another reason why Marvel was open to bringing the character back with another actor.
Sneider claimed that the role of T’Challa had been offered to an unknown actor last autumn but they turned the offer down because they didn’t want to potentially "jeopardise their career" by "stepping into Boseman’s gigantic shoes".
While Sneider is fairly sure T’Challa will appear in the MCU again, the insider doesn’t know whether the character will be a part of “Doomsday” or “Secret Wars” before the third “Black Panther” movie.
After his starring performance in “Black Panther”, Boseman returned as T’Challa in “Avengers: Infinity War” and was last seen in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” before his death in 2020 at the age of 43 after a battle with colon cancer.
Following Boseman’s passing, the franchise, which is helmed by director Ryan Coogler, pivoted to focus on T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) as she took on the mantle of the superhero in the 2022 sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.
Last year, Wright teased that there was a "lot coming up" for the character.
During an appearance on “The View”, the 31-year-old actress said: "[Shuri is] one of my favourite characters. Such a blessing, honestly. I kid you not, I’m so grateful for her."
In January 2023, Wright said a third “Black Panther” blockbuster was "already in the works".
She told “Variety”: "You know, we just had a terrific two years of bringing it out and everybody coming together to support it.
"We need a little bit of a break, we need to regroup and Ryan [Coogler] needs to get back into the lab, so it’s going to take a little while, but we’re really excited for you guys to see that."
The film was then revealed to be in active development by Denzel Washington in November as he revealed that a part in the blockbuster would be one of his final roles before retirement.
The “Gladiator II” star said on Australia’s “Today” show: "I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film.
"After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther’. After that, I’m gonna do the film Othello. After that I’m gonna do King Lear. After that, I’m gonna retire."
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