Disney is reportedly not in a hurry to do Marvel’s Black Panther 2. Instead, the studio wants to focus on paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman.
The untimely death of the Black Panther star came as a surprise even to the bosses at Disney and Marvel. Boseman kept his cancer battle very private, with only a few studio executives aware of his real condition.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Marvel are still mourning Boseman’s loss that no one is thinking about Black Panther 2. Rewrites and other preparations are currently on hold because many of those who worked with Boseman — from the staff to the crew and the stars — are still grieving the loss.
What the studio executives want is to come up with a proper way to honor the star, who made a massive mark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Sequel pre-production supposedly starting September
The news comes as pre-production for Black Panther 2 was to start this September. Boseman was reportedly looking forward to returning to the set by March to begin the sequel’s principal photography.
Also set to return was Ryan Coogler, the co-writer, and the director. Coogler said that he was working on the sequel’s story for the most of 2019, but now things are still pretty muddled and unclear. The movie had a scheduled theater date for the summer of 2022.
Sources close to the actor told The Hollywood Reporter that Boseman had high hopes he was going to beat his cancer. Weeks before his death, Boseman was working on gaining weight again so that he would be up and ready to face the camera next spring.
Boseman learned of his cancer diagnosis in 2016, just as he was cast for Black Panther. His condition progressed from stage 3 to 4 in a matter of four years. He died in his home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side.
Wakanda theme park proposed
Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg appealed to Disney to consider building a Wakanda theme park in honor of the actor. The actress said that Disney didn’t need another Frozen attraction and suggested a Wakanda site. Goldberg once said that Boseman is one of her all-time favorite people on the planet.
https://twitter.com/WhoopiGoldberg/status/1300259333834407942?
In 2019, Disney announced plans to expand the Disney California Adventure park with its Marvel property. While the company didn’t specifically detail their plans, the official statement hinted of an attraction with Wakanda superheroes, alongside the other characters from the MCU.
Image used courtesy of Marvel Entertainment/YouTube