Chadwick Boseman

[Binky]

Narratively, it would make sense for Shuri, though I’d love to see an older woman like the Danai Gurira or Lupita Nyong’o characters get to step up (and we’d get to keep the smart black girl scientist who doesn’t have to be a warrior.)

Winston Duke or Daniel Kaluuya, are options, too. Heck, they could time or dimension travel and use alternate universe Sterling K. Brown or redeem alternate universe Killmonger. The movie was loaded to bear with talent.

It really feels right for it to be a woman, though. An actor doesn’t have to step in Chadwick’s enormous and sad shoes, and it really fits the progressive and revolutionary nature of the BP franchise to proceed with a black woman super hero.

[Wol]

I don't follow the comics at all so didn't realize there was a way for it to be a female character but if that's possible I vote for Angela Bassett/Queen Ramonda. I'm usually oblivious to the Marvel Universe but if they're going to make a beautiful middle-aged woman of color a major player I would spend money for that.

[Deleted]

Aug 31, 2020 23:32:40 GMT -4 Binky said:

Narratively, it would make sense for Shuri, though I’d love to see an older woman like the Danai Gurira or Lupita Nyong’o characters get to step up (and we’d get to keep the smart black girl scientist who doesn’t have to be a warrior.)

Winston Duke or Daniel Kaluuya, are options, too. Heck, they could time or dimension travel and use alternate universe Sterling K. Brown or redeem alternate universe Killmonger. The movie was loaded to bear with talent.

It really feels right for it to be a woman, though. An actor doesn’t have to step in Chadwick’s enormous and sad shoes, and it really fits the progressive and revolutionary nature of the BP franchise to proceed with a black woman super hero.

I would like to see Lupita Nyong’o's character take over as Black Panther as a tribute to T'Challa.

[Deleted]

According to the Hollywood Reporter, no one at Marvel knew he was sick:

Only a handful of non-family members knew that Boseman was sick, including producing partner Logan Coles, longtime agent Michael Greene, trainer Addison Henderson and 42 director Brian Helgeland — with varying degrees of knowledge about the severity of the actor’s condition. No one involved with Black Panther was aware, says a source. It was Boseman’s wish to keep his cancer battle private.

Kevin Feige only found out on the day he died.

I think someone has already said this upthread, but he apparently had such good and trustworthy people around them that no one leaked it in four years. That's not something I would ever think could happen in this day and age.

[danadel]

Thanks for that article. It answered some of our questions about who knew and insurance.

I wonder about the change in his health in the last week and him believing he would beat it. 😔 very sad.

[Wol]

If it's true the studios didn't know, that's major. From their perspective, they made a long term investment and they got played. Callous and evil way to look at it, but I don't put anything past industry higher ups. Most people in entertainment lose their moral compass when they get a VP or higher title.

OTOH, what a terrible extra burden that must have been for Chadwick Boseman. He's deathly ill, he's facing mortality, and he can't tell anyone and he has to take covert measures with everyone outside his closest circle. Totally understand the logic and how he lives and dies is his choice, just makes this feel even more tragic, and I didn't think that was possible. It's bad enough that a talented young man had his life cut so short. Feels worse somehow that he had to suffer like that in total secrecy.

[Ginger]

Interesting that a big studio like Marvel doesn't worry about insurance and it's the smaller productions that do.

Mar 7, 2005 16:56:02 GMT -4 Wol said:

If it's true the studios didn't know, that's major. From their perspective, they made a long term investment and they got played.

Doesn't Marvel usually make actors, especially the lesser-knowns, sign up for about 7 years worth of movies? If he joined Marvel in 2013, that was a long-term investment made in good faith.

I think it was unwise for him not to have a lawyer involved in these decisions though. If his health impacted a production and he hadn't been up front about his condition, he or his estate could be sued. Especially by these smaller companies that need the money more than they need their reputation. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted his widow to go bankrupt fighting legal battles. But it sounds like he was mentally planning to just keep going and beat it.

[Mutagen]

Yeah, I am pretty shocked the studio didn't know. I have to wonder if that will change how actors are screened for long-term roles like this.

the 43-year-old actor, who had become noticeably thin in recent months, was convinced until about a week before his death that he was going to beat cancer and would be able to gain the weight back for a Black Panther sequel that was scheduled to go into production in March.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

[Deleted]

That is so sad. Although I think that I would prefer to live with that hope than the grim finality that everything that I did would be the last time I did it.

[Deleted]

Sept 3, 2020 11:56:21 GMT -4 Wol said:

If it's true the studios didn't know, that's major. From their perspective, they made a long term investment and they got played. Callous and evil way to look at it, but I don't put anything past industry higher ups. Most people in entertainment lose their moral compass when they get a VP or higher title.

If any of the higher ups at Disney & Marvel do feel that way, then they're at least smart enough not to say anything to that effect in public. I'm sure there's been a lot of stressful phone calls and meetings in the past week and there will be a lot more of them for a long time to come. It's probably going to take a while for them to decide how to proceed with the franchise.