There's been a lot of speculation about what Marvel Studios will do about Black Panther 2 following the tragic death of actor Chadwick Boseman, with one popular theory being that the actor will be recreated with a digital double (presumably to kill the character off in the opening few minutes).
That rumour was actually shared online last week, but during a recent interview with Clarin, Executive Vice President of Marvel Studios, Victoria Alsonso, cleared things up.
"No," she responded when asked about the possibility of a digital double. "There's only one Chadwick, and he's not with us. 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 the story and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, really."
"[We] have to think carefully about what we are going to do, and how, and think about how we are going to honor the franchise," Alonso concluded.
Recasting the character for Black Panther 2 is certainly one possibility, especially as Ryan Coogler has penned a screenplay revolving around T'Challa. However, following Boseman will be no easy feat, and many actors will likely be hesitant to even attempt to match what he did with the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Another option is killing T'Challa off before the sequel starts, with Shuri taking over the mantle (just as she once did in the comic books).
The latter would require the screenplay to be completely rewritten, though, and it all depends what Marvel Studios wants to do with the franchise and how they can best honour Boseman's legacy.