Kevin Feige On The Future Of 'Black Panther 2' Without Chadwick Boseman

Kevin Feige already reassured Chadwick Boseman fans that the Marvel Cinematic Universe wouldn’t recast his role as the Black Panther, and now, he’s expanding on the franchise’s plans for the upcoming sequel.

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In a new interview with Deadline, the President of Marvel Studios talked about the plans for Black Panther 2 in the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death. During the conversation, Feige confirmed that the franchise will explore different areas and characters throughout the world of Wakanda.

“So much of the comics and that first movie is the world of Wakanda,” he told Deadline. “Wakanda is a place to further explore with characters and different subcultures. This was always and initially the primary focus of the next story.”

This is just the latest development in a string of comments from the Marvel camp since we lost Boseman, with Feige confirming Disney’s decision not to recast Boseman’s leading character T’Challa last month.

“We’re not going to have a CG Chadwick and we’re not recasting T’Challa,” he said at the time. “Ryan Coogler is working very hard right now on the script with all the respect and love and genius that he has, which gives us great solace, so it was always about furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda. There’s also the task of honoring and respecting the ongoing learnings and teachings from Chad as well.”

According to The Direct, the original cast from the first film is expected to return for the sequel, but there are still questions as to whether Letitia Wright’s character as “Shuri” will take on a more prominent role in light of Boseman’s passing.

Some fans are asking that Wright be replaced all together following her anti-vaxxer comments back in December.

The 27-year-old actress caught backlash from fans online after she re-posted a Youtube video of a British reporter by the name of Tomi Arayomi addressing his concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. The video also featured some homophobic and transphobic bits that sent fans into a fury.

Black Panther 2 is set to release on July 8, 2022.