Disney bets big on streaming, with 10 Star Wars and 10 Marvel series for Disney+, but Black Widow to debut in cinemas – and Black Panther character to be retired
- Studio announces 35 streaming series, including one based on Alien films, a female-led Ironheart to succeed Iron Man films, and a Buzz Lightyear origin story
- Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic, Marvel Studios president says, adding: ‘For that reason we will not recast the character’
There will be only one T’Challa: Disney paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman on 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.
“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 stand-alone film in the franchise – will still go ahead using “all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film”.
“To honour 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,” added Feige. Returning director Ryan Coogler was “hard at work on the sequel now”, he said.