Angela Bassett, who co-starred with the late Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther, said the world of Wakanda might have the technology to render T'Challa's image, but Boseman himself is "completely irreplaceable."
Bassett played Queen Ramonda, mother of King T'Challa in the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster. The film showcased their characters' homeland as a technological marvel, and Bassett pondered how the filmmakers might use that as a story idea. She told ET, "That's interesting. Well, I had not thought about that idea, but of course it is Wakanda and they are, in terms of technology, they are so far ahead of the rest of the world that they would be able to bring some of that."
Marvel Studios President and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige declared no double of Boseman will be used in Black Panther 2. Instead, director Ryan Coogler is figuring out how to retool the story without Boseman, who toiled for years with a private diagnosis of colon cancer before dying in August 2020 at age 43.
Bassett said of Boseman, "Our brother held it really close, really close to the chest. But his legacy, his loss, the love and appreciation that we have for who he was and what he shared with us cannot be [replaced] … It is missed and appreciated and cannot be duplicated. It's a tremendous honor and, yes, he is completely irreplaceable."
Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther 2 arrives in theaters July 8, 2022.
Source: ET