Film
USA | Jul 4, 2022

#RecastTChalla movement calls have resurfaced

Ategie Edwards

Ategie Edwards / Our Today

Reading Time: 4 minutes
Chadwick Boseman (Photo: NBC News)

Calls to recast Black Panther character, T’Challa, have recently resurfaced, and have grown even louder, following the reveal of several character sketches from the highly anticipated sequel: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, set to be released later this year.

Sparking in a heated debate in the Twitter-verse, many MCU fans, though initially against a T’Challa recast following actor Chadwick Boseman’s death, have seemingly moved from what some describe as an “emotional reaction”, to a more logical one.

The Western Hemisphere was rocked after learning of the death of Boseman, who played the famed and culturally significant MCU character, Black Panther/T’Challa.

(Photo: Minority News Network)

Passing on in August of 2020, from colorectal cancer, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, assured fans that there would be no CGI version of the actor and also informed fans of the Marvel Universe that part II of the film, would pay tribute to the actor. Talks of killing the character in the upcoming film have circulated as well.

While there are the few who are not opposed to their decision, the majority do not find value in their choice, arguing that many other superhero films have had multiple actors play one character, and without a T’Challa the film would lack excitement and the hero little boys of colour need.

Some fans have even suggested actors they deem fit for the role and have noted the best way to honour the late American actor would be to recast him, while others have said that calls for T’Challa’s recast are too late, given that the franchise has already completed production of the sequel.

(Photo: Twitter @culturebible1)

“I’m gonna say it, I’m not excited for this film much at all I can’t lie. It feels wrong without TChalla and having someone much less relevant take over doesn’t intrigue me. With the right writing and a good fleshed out villain it could be great, but we’ll have to wait and see,” @culturebible1 tweeted.

“After Chadwick’s passing, most felt grief. Grief made us demand marvel not to recast. Those demands were emotional and not clear. After two years of healing, people are seeing that T’Challa needs to live and it honors Chadwick the most,” @kaijumik3 said.

“Namor looks sick. However, Marvel NEEDS to recast TChalla. There’s no way I’m getting hyped for Namor vs M’Baku or whoever they choose for Black Panther,” @kaijumik3 shared in another tweet.

(Photo: Twitter @kaijumik3)

Emmanuel (E-Man) Noisette, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, member of the Critics Choice Association, Hollywood Critics Association and the African American Film Critics Association, took to change.org to start a petition for the the recasting of the role.

With the petition almost nearing its goal of 75,000 signatures, E-Man wrote that while the character was adorned by fans, not recasting the role can stifle the opportunity for one of the most popular, leading Black superhero’s legacy to continue, noting that the primary way to kill a legend is to ” stop telling their story”.

Emmanuel (E-Man) Noisette (Photo: Screen Rant)

“If Marvel Studios removes T’Challa, it would be at the expense of the audiences (especially Black boys and men) who saw themselves in him. That also includes the millions of fans who were inspired by the character as well…,” E-Man wrote.

He continued: “#RecastTChalla is asking Marvel Studios NOT to use the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman as a plot device in their fictional storytelling.”

While asserting that the 21 Bridges actor could not be replaced, the film critic went on to note that Boseman wanted people to see the role, and not himself.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to be released November 11, 2022.

See Twitter comments below:

(Photo: Twitter @Time17Prime)
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(Photo: Twitter @Time17Prime)
(Photo: Twitter @Mike_Malo)

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