Outside of the family, very few knew about Chadwick Boseman's battle with cancer – apparently no one at Disney was informed either.
The tragic and sudden death of Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020, "Black Panther") on August 28th shook the film world and its fans. For Disney and Marvel, too, the news of their star's death seemed to come as a complete surprise. According to information available to "The Hollywood Reporter", none of those responsible apparently knew that Boseman had been fighting colon cancer for over four years and that his condition had deteriorated massively. Marvel boss Kevin Feige (47) is said to have only found out about Boseman's death by email on the day of his death.
A source close to Boseman told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor, who had become noticeably thin in recent months, was believed to have conquered cancer and the necessary weight for it until about a week before his death "Black Panther" sequel would win back. The actor is reportedly already preparing for the new film.
What will happen to "Black Panther 2"?
The studio bosses now have to decide how to proceed with "Black Panther 2" without the title star. The sequel was announced for May 2022. Director Ryan Coogler (34) was already preparing. "I've spent the last year thinking up and writing words for him, but we weren't meant to see this," he said in a moving statement after Boseman's death.
Marvel fans have already made it clear via social media that they don't want the role to be re-cast. Boseman's character was apparently intended to appear in other productions as well. Unspecified Disney sources want to know that the company wants to pay due tribute to Chadwick Boseman and does not want to insist on the sequel to "Black Panther" for the time being.