Kevin Feige Says It Was 'Much Too Soon' To Recast T'Challa In 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Empire that the company was opposed to recasting T'Challa after Chadwick Boseman's death.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is doubling down on the decision not to recast T'Challa in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Feige recently spoke with Empire about instead honoring Boseman in the Black Panther sequel, which premieres in November.

“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast,” Feige said. “Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story.”

Feige and director Ryan Coogler focused on what was next for the Black Panther legacy after Boseman died from cancer in August 2020.

“The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’” Feige explained. “And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.

In the Wakanda Forever trailer, Wakandans are seen mourning the loss of T’Challa while Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje band together to protect their nation.

Earlier this month, Wakanda Forever actor Winston Duke opened up to E News! about the sets' saddened atmosphere without Boseman.

“It was melancholy,” Duke said. “There was a lot of joy, first and foremost, to just be back and be back with everybody and jump back into playing, but we missed our guy.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases on November 11.