There Will Be No Digital Double For Chadwick Boseman In 'Black Panther 2'

Following Chadwick Boseman’s death this year, Marvel Studios EVP of Production Victoria Alonso has assured fans the Black Panther sequel won’t use a digital double to portray the late actor.

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

In an interview with Argentinian publication Clarin, Alonso said there’s “only one Chadwick and he’s not with us.”

Marvel’s parent company, Disney, has been at the receiving end of criticism in the past for resurrecting actors via CG, like they did with Peter Cushing’s Moff Tarkin in Rogue One. Luckily, they won’t be taking that step here.

“Our king, unfortunately, has died in real life, not just in fiction, and we are taking a little time to see how we return to history and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, really,” she continued.

Before Chadwick’s passing, Marvel Studios planned to shoot the sequel to Black Panther early next year for a release in 2022, and as of now, the company has yet to announce any delays. The writer and director on both films, Ryan Coogler, said that he was unaware that Boseman was battling cancer and his death came as a shock, so it’s safe to say he’ll have to completely rework whatever script he had prepared.

As for Boseman’s costars, its still too soon to think about logistics. Letitia Wright, who played Chadwick’s little sister, Shuri, in Black Panther, recently said that it’s too early to talk about plans for the sequel.

“We’re just still mourning Chad, so it’s not something I even want to think about,” she said. “The thought of doing it without him is kinda strange. We’re just grieving at the moment, so it’s trying to find the light in the midst of it.”

While his death is still fresh and hard to fathom, this is good news for fans of the franchise and of Chadwick.