Marvel Studios
As the Hollywood saying goes, the show must go on. That’s certainly the motto adopted by the cast and crew of Black Panther II, who are forging forward without the film’s instantly iconic star Chadwick Boseman.
Boseman, who passed away last August following a private battle with colon cancer, was the Black Panther, as the success of the film went hand-in-hand with Boseman’s epic portrayal of the character. With Boseman now gone, though, the franchise not only has to chart a path forward but must do so while honoring the legacy that Chadwick left behind.
In a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o discussed what it’s like making Black Panther II without Boseman, saying that it feels “spiritually and emotionally correct to do this”:
“People will ask me, ‘Are you excited to go back?’ Excitement isn’t the word. I feel like I’m in a very pensive and meditative state when it comes to Black Panther 2. His passing is still extremely raw for me,” Nyong’o says before her voice starts to crack. “And I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like to step on set and not have him there.
“But at the same time we have a leader in Ryan, who feels very much like we do, who feels the loss in a very, very real way as well. And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world. So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.” [via Yahoo Entertainment]
Black Panther II is currently scheduled to begin production in the coming months ahead of the film’s July 8, 2022 release date.
RELATED: ‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Breaks Silence On Making The Sequel Without Chadwick Boseman
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