Black Panther (2018) (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

No problem with another actor playing the role, many actors have played Batman and other characters.

Agreed. I think some here are over-estimating the mass audience's attachment to Boseman. Movies do not have to reflect real-life events. They're fictional entertainments. Just because an actor passes, you do not blow up the franchise. Especially one that's barely started with only one stand-alone film and a few cameos.

I bet if you were to survey a bunch of random common folk, most would not be able to "name the actor who played Black Panther," even with all the press about his passing.

 

[JimmyO]

The Hollywood Reporter announced the July shooting date a couple weeks ago, so that is what they are aiming for now. I posted it in the Black Panther II thread. If Boseman had lived, it was going to be sooner.

I just think that searching for another member of the family to take the mantle when Shuri is right there would be disrespectful to her and to her agency. There is no reason to do that at all.

It looks like you're right about that. I looked up some history and it turns out that in the comics, Shuri was actually BP for a time when her brother became ill and almost died. So there's comic world precedence, and when that history is established it makes perfect sense to follow that.

 

[Sean Bryan]

If they decide to have T’Challa die with Chadwick, then it is highly likely they will go with Shuri as the next Black Panther.

I’d be perfectly happy with that 10 years from now, but it‘s just way too soon in my opinion.

I do have the feeling that they will probably go with the more short term emotional rather than long term logical choice for how they proceed, but I still hope they can step back and ask themselves what they honestly think Chadwick would have wanted for the character.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I still hope they can step back and ask themselves what they honestly think Chadwick would have wanted for the character.

I hate for this to sound the way I'm sure it's going to sound. I do not mean this disrespectfully to either you or to his memory. But Boseman doesn't get a hypothetical vote because he's not here. If he were here, he would be in the movie and we wouldn't be having this discussion at all.

The question is what the audience will accept, and what the people who have to work on the movie are comfortable with doing. I think the audience at large would reject a new actor in this role. I think it would be hard on the cast and crew who loved Boseman so much to reconcile with someone else in that role. And I think that the odds would be stacked against any actor who they tried to cast to replace him. Yes, it's the lead of a huge franchise, but still. What actor is going to want that kind of pressure?

This is not like Batman where there is a long and storied history of many different actors coming into that role. Boseman is the only person ever to play that role on screen, and he did so in four different billion-dollar grossing films, including the biggest one of all time. Swapping him out for another actor, even for obvious reasons, is not as simple as recasting some supporting roles after their original portrayers appeared in one movie and didn't develop the affection of the fan base to the extent that Boseman did. Best-case scenario for any hypothetical replacement would be that they are just as good as Boseman, and he was outstanding, so I don't think we can assume best-case scenario. Who would want that?

We live in a culture where Kelly Marie Tran was run off social media by some racist trolls. Can you imagine the treatment of a replacement for Boseman if people decided he wasn't as good? I don't mean to make this a race issue, and what happened to Tran is not an exact equivalent. But it speaks to the fact that there is a very loud segment of the fan base who feel entitled to make their displeasure known, and even if they are in the minority, they are often very loud. What actor wants to take on that sort of thing? Shuri is the easiest transition they've got because the fans already like Letitia Wright and everyone would accept her.

They're going to do what they're going to do, and those of us who fall on different sides of this issue can argue until we're blue and neither one of us can change that. Unless Kevin Feige and/or Ryan Coogler secretly spend their time lurking on HTF, these decisions aren't going to have anything to do with us. But I think it is extremely unlikely that they would recast.

 

[AlexF]

Shuri is the easiest transition they've got because the fans already like Letitia Wright and everyone would accept her.

Though... based on what happened yesterday via her account on twitter... I'm not entirely convinced of that last bit anymore...

 

[Malcolm R]

I think having anyone but T'Challa as Black Panther would be rejected much more widely than recasting the role.

Much of the audience for the Marvel films has little or no knowledge of the comic books (I'm in this group). I think switching BP to a different character this suddenly would not go over very well. I'd have less interest in the film with BP as anyone other than T'Challa. They would need to make at least one transition film with a new actor as T'Challa if that's the route they eventually want to go. Given the story so far, they can't just start out of the gate with a different character wearing the BP mantle.

Similar reason for why we have so many film versions of Spider-Man but always as Peter Parker. Using any other character to portray Spider-Man risks large scale rejection by a good share of the audience who is not aware any other character has ever been S-M.

Miles Morales was introduced in the Spider-Verse animated film, but that film also included Peter Parker and the whole multi-verse concept allowed easy introduction and understanding of why there were different versions. If they were to cold start a live action Morales/Spider-Man franchise, without proper set-up and introduction in the Peter Parker live-action films, I don't think it would be as successful.

People are interested more in characters than actors, especially those that are not familiar with the comic backstories. For that audience, Peter Parker is Spider-Man and T'Challa is Black Panther. Period.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Peter Parker is Spider-Man and T'Challa is Black Panther. Period.

But surely you mean IYHO?

 

[Malcolm R]

But surely you mean IYHO?

Everything on this forum is someone's HO.

 

[Chip_HT]

This is not like Batman where there is a long and storied history of many different actors coming into that role.

Also, outside of the Nolan trilogy, there's never been much continuity between Batman movies.

If this was the 90s or early 2000s, then there's be no problem to wait a bit, recast, and move on.

Part of the allure of the MCU is that you have characters and actors moving from movie to movie. That's why there's always been a bit of a disconnect with the last Hulk movie and his appearances from Avengers onward.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Shuri is the easiest transition they've got because the fans already like Letitia Wright and everyone would accept her.

I‘m hoping it blows over, but her recent anti-vaxer debacle isn’t doing her any favors.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I think having anyone but T'Challa as Black Panther would be rejected much more widely than recasting the role.

Much of the audience for the Marvel films has little or no knowledge of the comic books (I'm in this group). I think switching BP to a different character this suddenly would not go over very well. I'd have less interest in the film with BP as anyone other than T'Challa. They would need to make at least one transition film with a new actor as T'Challa if that's the route they eventually want to go. Given the story so far, they can't just start out of the gate with a different character wearing the BP mantle.

Similar reason for why we have so many film versions of Spider-Man but always as Peter Parker. Using any other character to portray Spider-Man risks large scale rejection by a good share of the audience who is not aware any other character has ever been S-M.

Miles Morales was introduced in the Spider-Verse animated film, but that film also included Peter Parker and the whole multi-verse concept allowed easy introduction and understanding of why there were different versions. If they were to cold start a live action Morales/Spider-Man franchise, without proper set-up and introduction in the Peter Parker live-action films, I don't think it would be as successful.

People are interested more in characters than actors, especially those that are not familiar with the comic backstories. For that audience, Peter Parker is Spider-Man and T'Challa is Black Panther. Period.

"BP" really resonated with the Black community, and I strongly suspect the masses of viewers who never read the comics would reject a recast T'Challa. Boseman is too connected to the part, and his tragic death makes this a different situation than if he just quit.

Yes, deceased actors get replaced - like Michael Gambon taking over for Richard Harris as Dumbledore - but last time I looked, Dumbledore wasn't a cultural phenomenon like T'Challa was.

I think there's next to no change Marvel casts a new actor as T'Challa.

The mythology already set up that there've been multiple Black Panthers over the years, and that makes it even easier for Marvel to simply use a different character as BP...

 

[Jake Lipson]

Yes, deceased actors get replaced - like Michael Gambon taking over for Richard Harris as Dumbledore - but last time I looked, Dumbledore wasn't a cultural phenomenon like T'Challa was.

You are correct. Dumbledore was part of a cultural phenomenon, but it was the Harry Potter franchise as a whole and not specifically tied to his character. Plus, the Harry Potter films were directly adapting source material in which Dumbledore was prominently featured, so there was no alternative but to recast.

Although Black Panther is an adaptation of the comics, the filmmakers are simply taking the characters and ideas from the comics and putting them into a cinematic story. They aren't doing a panel-for-panel adaptation of a comic book in which T'Challa appears. That gives them much more room to work than the Harry Potter films had after Harris passed.

 

[Jake Lipson]

What I heard is that Black Panther II is taking the July 2022 date previously announced for Captain Marvel II. Captain Marvel slides to November 2022.

Thor slides from February to May to take the original date assigned to Black Panther II.

In any case, I am glad to have them put the recasting debate to rest.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Yep, the debate amongst fans is done. I disagree with the call, but this is it. Time to move forward.

Will be nice to see T’Challa one last time, voiced by Chadwick, in “What If...?”

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Yep, the debate amongst fans is done.

I highly highly doubt that.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I highly highly doubt that.

Well, you’re right there.

I mean the debate about what they hope Marvel will do (or what they should do) is done because the decision has been made. Of course people will continue to discuss whether or not they agree with the choice for years to come. I think it was the wrong call, but an emotionally understandable one.

 

[TonyD]

Doing a MCU rewatch and I’m up to BP.

Maybe I missed something but Klaua has a hammer made of Vibranium and they are chasing him around trying to get him and the hammer.
While this is happening during a car chase they have a car made of Vibranium.
Klaue fires his Klaw at it and the car explodes into hundreds of pieces.
So now somewhere in China I think, there is shards of Vibranium all over the street?

 

[Joe Wong]

Doing a MCU rewatch and I’m up to BP.

Maybe I missed something but Klaua has a hammer made of Vibranium and they are chasing him around trying to get him and the hammer.
While this is happening during a car chase they have a car made of Vibranium.
Klaue fires his Klaw at it and the car explodes into hundreds of pieces.
So now somewhere in China I think, there is shards of Vibranium all over the street?

It's been a while since I last saw the film, but is the car described as being made of vibranium? Otherwise it would just be a regular car with souped-up, James Bond-like functions?

(Also, the location of the car chase is in South Korea, if I recall.)

 

[TonyD]

Klaue and his people were shorting at it and everything was bounc8ng off and Klaue said that’s because it’s made of Vibranium.

Anyway my thoughts on the movie after I saw it originally in this topic mostly still stand.
MBJ doesn’t do anything for me in this. Hated almost all his corny dialog.
Overall I do like it more then that original viewing and will bump my score up to 3.5 from 3.

Still feel like Vibranium is too much a magical be all and solve all object.

Welp off to watch Infinity War.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Klaue and his people were shorting at it and everything was bounc8ng off and Klaue said that’s because it’s made of Vibranium.

Anyway my thoughts on the movie after I saw it originally in this topic mostly still stand.
MBJ doesn’t do anything for me in this. Hated almost all his corny dialog.
Overall I do like it more then that original viewing and will bump my score up to 3.5 from 3.

Still feel like Vibranium is too much a magical be all and solve all object.

Welp off to watch Infinity War.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this movie, but wasn’t there something about Vibranium having some sort of susceptibility to sonics? Or am I misremembering that?

Because Klaue did have a sonic weapon, didn’t he?