Should Marvel Still Make 'Black Panther 2'?

After the tragic death of it's leading star, Marvel can either use Black Panther 2 to honour Boseman's legacy, or just scrap the whole project out of respect

Chadwick Boseman in 'Black Panther' (CREDIT: Marvel/Disney)

                        by Jack Linsdell

Last night, we learned that actor Chadwick Boseman had tragically died after a five year battle with Cancer, at the age of 43. First of all, let me just say that this is heartbreaking for everyone that knew Boseman, and my sincerest thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. May he rest in peace. It's always severely gutting when very talented actors are taken from us too soon (Robin Williams and Alan Rickman come to mind), although in Boseman's case it's even more poignant considering his career was only really getting started. 

Anyway, Boseman, whose always given scene-stealing performances no matter how good (42, Get On Up, 21 Bridges) or underwhelming (Gods of Egypt) the actual movies turned out to be. However, Boseman is most known and loved for his portrayal of T'Challa/Black Panther in the MCU. Although first introduced to audiences in Captain America Civil War, it was Ryan Coogler's solo Black Panther movie in 2018 that not only catapulted Boseman into modern pop culture and fame, but also had the biggest impact on audiences too. It's fair to say that Black Panther was a once in a lifetime event movie for the entire African-American population, not only in it having a star-studded cast of Black actors (Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya to name but a few) but for having their culture and heritage front and centre in a big blockbuster epic. This helped Black Panther seriously overpeform with $700 million domestic (the highest superhero gross and one of the largest overall cumes ever) on it's way to an insane $1.3 billion worldwide on a $200 million budget. Add in the critical acclaim, a place in the modern zeitgiest and several Oscar wins (Best Score, Best Costume, Best Production Design) and 7 (!) nominations including for Best Picture, and it's fair to say Black Panther was a blowout success. It not only allowed a severely underepresented demographic to enjoy seeing themselves and their culture on screen, but also a film that explored key political and social issues that the Black community have suffered with since time began. So, it's no surprise that Marvel set a sequel with Coogler returning to write and direct. 

As of the time of writing, we've had no word from Marvel, Disney or Coogler if the currently in development Black Panther 2 has been postponed, pulled or if it will continue on. I'd imagine given how unexpected Boseman's death was, I'd imagine at the very least production will go on hiatus until decisions from those above are made. On the one hand, continuing to make the sequel in Boseman's absence could be a powerful and moving way to honour his legacy and continue on everything that the 2018 hit movie has stood for. Sure, big rewrites would be needed to the already finished script, but bringing back most of the supporting cast and telling a story around Black Panther's legacy could work. Although not a great example in terms of quality, it could follow a similar route to Mamma Mia Here We Go Again with Meryl Streep's Donna having died between the two movies. With all the powers that come with modern day CGI, Boseman could come back in either deleted scene footage or digital recreations of him, which would allow him to at least appear in several key moments. When Paul Walker died halfway through filming Furious 7, director James Wan used Walker's brothers as stand ins when filming the rest of the movie, and then utilised CG recreations of Walker when you needed to see his face. Rian Johnson did something similar on Star Wars The Last Jedi after the death of Carrie Fisher. The point is that there is a case to be made for Marvel continuing to tell the story about the world of Wakanda in a Black Panther 2 and using the powers of technology still make Boseman a key emotional part of that story. The deaths of Fisher, Walker and the character of Donna did nothing to stop audiences turning those movies into big hits. In actual fact, it stands to reason that Black Panther 2 could be even bigger because of Boseman's death in a sort of cruel irony. 

Considering how much Black Panther meant to the African-American community, and pushed boundaries for representation in front of the camera in the industry, the sequel could be a good chance to continue this work. With all the BLM movement and shootings this year and the potential reelection of Trump, Black Panther is still just, if not more so, relevant today as two years ago. Continuing to make the sequel could in many ways be the best way to commemorate Boseman's tragic death and legacy. 

However, there is also a case to be made for Marvel just axing the project completely, especially if they're thinking of doing it and recasting Boseman's role. However selfish and domineering Disney have been in recent years, I would be surprised if they were that cruel (and stupid) to anger the whole world by merely recasting a deceased actor to continue making a film that's surely going to make them a lot of money. But, even if they don't recast him, without Boseman in the lead role, Black Panther 2 is a more complicated and risky movie, both in terms of production and audience reaction. Not only would budgets be driven up with heavy CG work needed to recreate Boseman, but would audiences A) want to a see a sequel without him being actually there and B) feel right seeing a movie that's trying to continue the story without the key protagonist in place? And, that's all assuming that the rest of the cast and crew actually want to return given the tragic news. The point is that Black Panther 2 has gone from surefire hit and one of the most anticipated movies of the next few years, to a risky bet at best. Even if a sequel is made in some form and it earns excellent box office, there is a big risk of intense outrage and scandal, not to mention scathing observations where one line of dialogue or scene could be taken out of place and used against Disney for being an insult or disrespect to Boseman. Maybe, it's just best to avoid any sort of hot potato and call the whole thing off?

So, Boseman's tragic death has left a massive whole in the industry who are mourning the loss of a severely talented young actor who was taken from this earth too soon. But, for Marvel and Disney, the unfortunate circumstances have also created a massive quandary and turned a surefire hit movie sequel into a risky hot potato at best. The likes of Furious 7 and The Last Jedi prove that blockbusters can be made after the death of an actor and can be seen and loved by audiences to huge worldwide grosses ($1.5 billion and $1.3 billion respectively). However, as many reasons as you can think of for why continuing with Black Panther 2 in some shape or form is the best way to honour Boseman's legacy, you can think of just as many why not to carry on with it. 

But, I guess at the moment, all this is irrelevant. What's most important right now is that film industry has forever lost a talented actor who was just getting warmed up. And, somewhere a family has lost a loving husband and son too. So, for now, let's just put on 21 Bridges and take a moment to remember what a talent Boseman was.