Fans had been wondering how Marvel Studios intended to handle Black Panther 2 in the wake of Chadwick Boseman's tragic death last year, and Kevin Feige confirmed that the role of T'Challa would not be recast during Disney's recent Investors Day. Most seem to agree that this is the smartest move, including the actress that played the King of Wakanda's mother in the first film.
During an interview with ET, Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda) was asked about the decision to move forward on the sequel without T'Challa, and while she didn't give us any hints about how they may intend to proceed, she is confident that the story is in good hands.
"It's a tremendous loss, but Kevin and the Marvel universe and Ryan [Coogler], the director, the writer from before, they are committed to telling [a story] and equally as much as we can, equally planned. So we are looking forward to that. Looking forward to what they come up with."
Basset admits that Feige, Coogler and co. had to "do a major pivot and they are still working on that now because none of us knew anything."
"Our brother held it really close, really close to the chest," she added, referencing Boseman's decision to keep his cancer diagnosis a secret. "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."
All we know for sure about the upcoming sequel is that Shuri (Letitia Wright) will have a "more substantial" role. Whether that means she'll suit-up and inherit the mantle of Black Panther remains to be seen.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.