RIP Chadwick Boseman / Black Panther
- Thread starter blewis17
- Start date
Too Much Garlic
Master Member
RIP. I'm at a loss for words. So unexpected and sad.
Totally agree with you... But were dealing with disney here.....
I'm not sure I totally agree. Since we're dealing with a character that's passed from generation to generation, I believe they could cast another character that has to become Black Panther, but never recasting T'Challa.
Just as T'Challa decided to be a better BP than his father, you could honor Chadwick's portrayal by having the new BP striving to be the hero T'Challa was.
I know the Mouse is seen as a money hungry machine, but I believe I trust Marvel Studios to honor his memory & tell a compelling story.
ghostryder
Legendary Member
firesprite
Master Member
Shuri carried the Black Panther mantle for a while in the comics. Let her take up the mantel in the movies.
NakedMoleRat
Legendary Member
I think it would be a better memorial for both the character and the actor to have the mantle passed in honor of the legacy he left.
CT1138
Sr Member
I've heard this suggested as well and support it!
NakedMoleRat
Legendary Member
Recast the character? NO! Pass the mantle and honor him? YES!
Recast the character? YES
No disrespect to Boseman. He did a phenomenal job playing that character. But it's important to remember he is an actor who was hired to play a fictional character. If every actor who did a phenomenal job with a character was considered the ONLY actor who could then play that character we would be robbing the world and future generations of the opportunity to continue to enjoy that charcter's stories... And reinvent the character for their own generations for their own time...
We can honor the actor and continue to tell the characters stories all at the same time.
No disrespect to Boseman. He did a phenomenal job playing that character. But it's important to remember he is an actor who was hired to play a fictional character. If every actor who did a phenomenal job with a character was considered the ONLY actor who could then play that character we would be robbing the world and future generations of the opportunity to continue to enjoy that charcter's stories... And reinvent the character for their own generations for their own time...
We can honor the actor and continue to tell the characters stories all at the same time.
Gimpdiggity
Master Member
Ryan Coogler’s statement regarding Boseman’s passing:
“ I inherited Marvel and the Russo Brothers’ casting choice of T’Challa. It is something that I will forever be grateful for. The first time I saw Chad’s performance as T’Challa, it was in an unfinished cut of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. I was deciding whether or not directing BLACK PANTHER was the right choice for me. I’ll never forget, sitting in an editorial suite on the Disney Lot and watching his scenes. His first with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, then, with the South African cinema titan, John Kani as T’Challa’s father, King T’Chaka. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to make this movie. After Scarlett’s character leaves them, Chad and John began conversing in a language I had never heard before. It sounded familiar, full of the same clicks and smacks that young black children would make in the States. The same clicks that we would often be chided for being disrespectful or improper. But, it had a musicality to it that felt ancient, powerful, and African.
In my meeting after watching the film, I asked Nate Moore, one of the producers of the film, about the language. “Did you guys make it up?” Nate replied, “that’s Xhosa, John Kani’s native language. He and Chad decided to do the scene like that on set, and we rolled with it.” I thought to myself. “He just learned lines in another language, that day?” I couldn’t conceive how difficult that must have been, and even though I hadn’t met Chad, I was already in awe of his capacity as actor.
I learned later that there was much conversation over how T’Challa would sound in the film. The decision to have Xhosa be the official language of Wakanda was solidified by Chad, a native of South Carolina, because he was able to learn his lines in Xhosa, there on the spot. He also advocated for his character to speak with an African accent, so that he could present T’Challa to audiences as an African king, whose dialect had not been conquered by the West.
I finally met Chad in person in early 2016, once I signed onto the film. He snuck past journalists that were congregated for a press junket I was doing for CREED, and met with me in the green room. We talked about our lives, my time playing football in college, and his time at Howard studying to be a director, about our collective vision for T’Challa and Wakanda. We spoke about the irony of how his former Howard classmate Ta-Nehisi Coates was writing T’Challa’s current arc with Marvel Comics. And how Chad knew Howard student Prince Jones, who’s murder by a police officer inspired Coates’ memoir Between The World and Me.
I noticed then that Chad was an anomaly. He was calm. Assured. Constantly studying. But also kind, comforting, had the warmest laugh in the world, and eyes that seen much beyond his years, but could still sparkle like a child seeing something for the first time.
That was the first of many conversations. He was a special person. We would often speak about heritage and what it means to be African. When preparing for the film, he would ponder every decision, every choice, not just for how it would reflect on himself, but how those choices could reverberate. “They not ready for this, what we are doing…” “This is Star Wars, this is Lord of the Rings, but for us… and bigger!” He would say this to me while we were struggling to finish a dramatic scene, stretching into double overtime. Or while he was covered in body paint, doing his own stunts. Or crashing into frigid water, and foam landing pads. I would nod and smile, but I didn’t believe him. I had no idea if the film would work. I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing. But I look back and realize that Chad knew something we all didn’t. He was playing the long game. All while putting in the work. And work he did.
He would come to auditions for supporting roles, which is not common for lead actors in big budget movies. He was there for several M’Baku auditions. In Winston Duke’s, he turned a chemistry read into a wrestling match. Winston broke his bracelet. In Letitia Wright’s audition for Shuri, she pierced his royal poise with her signature humor, and would bring about a smile to T’Challa’s face that was 100% Chad.
While filming the movie, we would meet at the office or at my rental home in Atlanta, to discuss lines and different ways to add depth to each scene. We talked costumes, military practices. He said to me “Wakandans have to dance during the coronations. If they just stand there with spears, what separates them from Romans?” In early drafts of the script. Eric Killmonger’s character would ask T’Challa to be buried in Wakanda. Chad challenged that and asked, what if Killmonger asked to be buried somewhere else?
Chad deeply valued his privacy, and I wasn’t privy to the details of his illness. After his family released their statement, I realized that he was living with his illness the entire time I knew him. Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering. He lived a beautiful life. And he made great art. Day after day, year after year. That was who he was. He was an epic firework display. I will tell stories about being there for some of the brilliant sparks till the end of my days. What an incredible mark he’s left for us.
I haven’t grieved a loss this acute before. I spent the last year preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say, that we weren’t destined to see. It leaves me broken knowing that I won’t be able to watch another close-up of him in the monitor again or walk up to him and ask for another take.
It hurts more to know that we can’t have another conversation, or facetime, or text message exchange. He would send vegetarian recipes and eating regimens for my family and me to follow during the pandemic. He would check in on me and my loved ones, even as he dealt with the scourge of cancer.
In African cultures we often refer to loved ones that have passed on as ancestors. Sometimes you are genetically related. Sometimes you are not. I had the privilege of directing scenes of Chad’s character, T’Challa, communicating with the ancestors of Wakanda. We were in Atlanta, in an abandoned warehouse, with bluescreens, and massive movie lights, but Chad’s performance made it feel real. I think it was because from the time that I met him, the ancestors spoke through him. It’s no secret to me now how he was able to skillfully portray some of our most notable ones. I had no doubt that he would live on and continue to bless us with more. But it is with a heavy heart and a sense of deep gratitude to have ever been in his presence, that I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.”
“ I inherited Marvel and the Russo Brothers’ casting choice of T’Challa. It is something that I will forever be grateful for. The first time I saw Chad’s performance as T’Challa, it was in an unfinished cut of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. I was deciding whether or not directing BLACK PANTHER was the right choice for me. I’ll never forget, sitting in an editorial suite on the Disney Lot and watching his scenes. His first with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, then, with the South African cinema titan, John Kani as T’Challa’s father, King T’Chaka. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to make this movie. After Scarlett’s character leaves them, Chad and John began conversing in a language I had never heard before. It sounded familiar, full of the same clicks and smacks that young black children would make in the States. The same clicks that we would often be chided for being disrespectful or improper. But, it had a musicality to it that felt ancient, powerful, and African.
In my meeting after watching the film, I asked Nate Moore, one of the producers of the film, about the language. “Did you guys make it up?” Nate replied, “that’s Xhosa, John Kani’s native language. He and Chad decided to do the scene like that on set, and we rolled with it.” I thought to myself. “He just learned lines in another language, that day?” I couldn’t conceive how difficult that must have been, and even though I hadn’t met Chad, I was already in awe of his capacity as actor.
I learned later that there was much conversation over how T’Challa would sound in the film. The decision to have Xhosa be the official language of Wakanda was solidified by Chad, a native of South Carolina, because he was able to learn his lines in Xhosa, there on the spot. He also advocated for his character to speak with an African accent, so that he could present T’Challa to audiences as an African king, whose dialect had not been conquered by the West.
I finally met Chad in person in early 2016, once I signed onto the film. He snuck past journalists that were congregated for a press junket I was doing for CREED, and met with me in the green room. We talked about our lives, my time playing football in college, and his time at Howard studying to be a director, about our collective vision for T’Challa and Wakanda. We spoke about the irony of how his former Howard classmate Ta-Nehisi Coates was writing T’Challa’s current arc with Marvel Comics. And how Chad knew Howard student Prince Jones, who’s murder by a police officer inspired Coates’ memoir Between The World and Me.
I noticed then that Chad was an anomaly. He was calm. Assured. Constantly studying. But also kind, comforting, had the warmest laugh in the world, and eyes that seen much beyond his years, but could still sparkle like a child seeing something for the first time.
That was the first of many conversations. He was a special person. We would often speak about heritage and what it means to be African. When preparing for the film, he would ponder every decision, every choice, not just for how it would reflect on himself, but how those choices could reverberate. “They not ready for this, what we are doing…” “This is Star Wars, this is Lord of the Rings, but for us… and bigger!” He would say this to me while we were struggling to finish a dramatic scene, stretching into double overtime. Or while he was covered in body paint, doing his own stunts. Or crashing into frigid water, and foam landing pads. I would nod and smile, but I didn’t believe him. I had no idea if the film would work. I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing. But I look back and realize that Chad knew something we all didn’t. He was playing the long game. All while putting in the work. And work he did.
He would come to auditions for supporting roles, which is not common for lead actors in big budget movies. He was there for several M’Baku auditions. In Winston Duke’s, he turned a chemistry read into a wrestling match. Winston broke his bracelet. In Letitia Wright’s audition for Shuri, she pierced his royal poise with her signature humor, and would bring about a smile to T’Challa’s face that was 100% Chad.
While filming the movie, we would meet at the office or at my rental home in Atlanta, to discuss lines and different ways to add depth to each scene. We talked costumes, military practices. He said to me “Wakandans have to dance during the coronations. If they just stand there with spears, what separates them from Romans?” In early drafts of the script. Eric Killmonger’s character would ask T’Challa to be buried in Wakanda. Chad challenged that and asked, what if Killmonger asked to be buried somewhere else?
Chad deeply valued his privacy, and I wasn’t privy to the details of his illness. After his family released their statement, I realized that he was living with his illness the entire time I knew him. Because he was a caretaker, a leader, and a man of faith, dignity and pride, he shielded his collaborators from his suffering. He lived a beautiful life. And he made great art. Day after day, year after year. That was who he was. He was an epic firework display. I will tell stories about being there for some of the brilliant sparks till the end of my days. What an incredible mark he’s left for us.
I haven’t grieved a loss this acute before. I spent the last year preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say, that we weren’t destined to see. It leaves me broken knowing that I won’t be able to watch another close-up of him in the monitor again or walk up to him and ask for another take.
It hurts more to know that we can’t have another conversation, or facetime, or text message exchange. He would send vegetarian recipes and eating regimens for my family and me to follow during the pandemic. He would check in on me and my loved ones, even as he dealt with the scourge of cancer.
In African cultures we often refer to loved ones that have passed on as ancestors. Sometimes you are genetically related. Sometimes you are not. I had the privilege of directing scenes of Chad’s character, T’Challa, communicating with the ancestors of Wakanda. We were in Atlanta, in an abandoned warehouse, with bluescreens, and massive movie lights, but Chad’s performance made it feel real. I think it was because from the time that I met him, the ancestors spoke through him. It’s no secret to me now how he was able to skillfully portray some of our most notable ones. I had no doubt that he would live on and continue to bless us with more. But it is with a heavy heart and a sense of deep gratitude to have ever been in his presence, that I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.”
The Brahma Bull
Sr Member
RIP. Was shocked when I read it on twitter. I hope he'll not just be remembered for the Black Panther.
wayouteast
Sr Member
Desperately desperately sad. What an actor. What a man. What a hero. At a time when the world needs dignity, decency and moral courage more than at any time I can remember in my 63 years, this loss is devastating. And if I'm feeling that way, I can't imagine how all those people are feeling to whom he represented an even more personal and deeply-needed hope for the future. And for that reason I hope his legacy continues and is built on. With hope. With decency. With courage. And with love. Farewell to the King. And welcome to whoever his successor might be... Chadwick Boseman left you a giant's shoulders to stand on.
SmilingOtter
Master Member
This was posted on FB:
In May 2018, I was newly Queen of Newcastle, at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. Black Panther had come out just three months before, and it was on everyone's mind.
I was still learning how to Queen, as the shoes before me were large, and pavilion time was always a time when I felt particularly inadequate.
It was one of my insecure days when I had a young black girl and her dad come and visit the Royal Court. I introduced myself as Queen of England and the girl said "I'm a princess!!" And then got shy.
I wanted her to keep talking, so I said "oh! Are you a Princess of England?" She shook her head. "Are you a Princess of France?" Another head shake. I don't know why, I'd never done it before, but I thought I'd take a chance. "Are you a Princess of Wakanda?"Her eyes grew so big.Her father jumped with excitement.And she nodded regally.I crossed my arms over my chest. "Wakanda Forever, my princess. We are so honored to have you in our Kingdom!" Now she stood a hundred feet tall, and her dad nearly trembled behind her.
I touched Joshua Miller's shoulder, who'd been carrying on a very different conversation as King Henry, and said "my dear Henry, we have a visiting guest from Wakanda!"
Without missing a beat, his arms crossed over his chest. "Wakanda forever, dear princess!! And welcome to England!!"
That shy girl walked out of pavilion with her head held high like an empress.
And I remember her dad just dancing next to her, whispering "Wakanda, baby!! They know you're from Wakanda!! You're royalty too!!"
Mr. Boseman, I've worked Renaissance festivals for almost twenty years now. Since that point, I have seen dozens of black boys and girls accept themselves as royalty in a way that I'm not sure they would have before. The doors you opened echo throughout time like Arthur pulling the sword from the stone.
Thank you.
Wakanda Forever.
It sounds like you earned everything you have because you worked your ass off for it. Likewise your daughters are very smart and have also worked their asses off to get where they are. You and your wife instilled in them a great work ethic and in a family that accomplished I imagine your wife is equally as successful. You should both be very proud of them and of yourselves for being able to provide a good life for your children. From everything you said they should go far because you've made good choices as a family and that is something to be celebrated!
I am at once sad to see this because of the loss of such an important icon, but at the same time I am so moved by the way this boy honored his hero! I love this!!!