MOVIE NEWS – Many fans believe that reprising the role of T’Challa, aka Black Panther, would be a great way to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman – which is what the late actor would have wanted.

After the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman last year, can you imagine anyone else playing T’Challa in the Black Panther films? While for many Marvel fans, it’s impossible, there seem to be plenty of people who think it should happen. A social media campaign calling for a possible recasting of the character has gained enough momentum to make the hashtag #RecastTChalla trending on Twitter. A petition has also been launched on Change.org.

“#RecastTChalla is not a call to replace Chadwick Boseman,” reads the petition’s description.

“It is not asking for an immediate replacement either. Nor is this calling for the prevention of other characters to take up the mantle of Black Panther like Shuri or anyone else. This petition is merely asking to continue the portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU. #RecastTChalla is a call to fulfill the role that Chadwick Boseman worked so hard for the world to see.”

“As the first Black superhero in mainstream comics and the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), T’Challa is literally Black history. He was created in 1966, during the Civil Rights era, to be the embodiment of positive Black representation,” adds the description.

“His character was also instrumental in uplifting Black female characters such as Storm, the Dora Milaje, and his own sister Shuri. There is no more positive form of representation in Black culture than strong Black men and women supporting one another. T’Challa’s character was only scratching the surface with his story in the MCU, and there is so much more left to tell.”

The #RecastTChalla social media movement and petition stemmed from a video of Boseman’s friend Roland Martin describing a conversation he had with the late Black Panther star before his death. According to Martin, Boseman said, “I want them to see the role and not see me. That is the job of the actor. It’s not about me, it’s about the role, and people remember the role and what you did with it.”

After Marvel recently announced that T’Challa’s role would not be reprised in the MCU, the movement gained some momentum. There have also been rumours that a new character will take up the mantle in the upcoming sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Kevin Feige has previously stated that the role of T’Challa will not be reprised in the film, nor will CGI be used to insert Boseman in the sequel posthumously. It is not yet known how T’Challa will be written out of the story of Wakanda Forever.

The new Black Panther movie is expected to hit theatres on November 11, 2022. As for the petition to recast the role of T’Challa, you can view it on Change.org at the link below.

Source: Change.org, YouTube