Black Panther executive producer Victoria Alonso has strongly denied rumours that the movie’s sequel will use a digital double for the late Chadwick Boseman. The actor, who played the titular superhero in the original movie, died from colon cancer in August 2020.
“No,” Alonso told Argentine newspaper Clarín when posed with the question. “There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s no longer with us. Sadly, our king has died in real life, not only in fiction, and we’re taking a little time to see how we continue the story and how to honor this chapter of what has unexpectedly happened to us, so painful and terrible to be honest.
“Chadwick wasn’t only a wonderful human being, every day of the 5 years we spent together, but also, I believe, that what he did as a character elevated us as a company, and has left his moment on history.”
CGI has been used to resurrect movie stars in the past – a digital version of Carrie Fisher appeared in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker after the actor’s death in 2016, and Paul Walker appeared in Fast & Furious 7 in 2015 despite dying in a car accident in 2013.
Alonso added: "I know that sometimes in productions, two or three months goes by and we say that too much time has passed. But it’s not too much time. We have to really think about what we’re going to do next and how. And decide how we’re going to honor the franchise.”
Black Panther 2 is due to start filming in early 2021, with a release date predicted for 2022. Ryan Coogler is back on board for the sequel as writer and director.
