Black Panther star Martin Freeman has confirmed that he will be reprising his role in the upcoming sequel. In an interview, Freeman discussed the highly-anticipated follow-up to the MCU film and the challenges faced in the absence of lead actor Chadwick Boseman, who tragically based away in August of last year.
In Black Panther, Freeman plays CIA operative Everett K. Ross, who made his first appearance in a small role in Captain America Civil War. T’Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), is reunited with Ross when they cross paths in Korea while tracking the same man: arms dealer and Vibranium thief Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis). Ross later teams up with T’Challa and his fellow Wakandans to help take back the throne from the film's antagonist, Killmonger (Michal B Jordan).
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Recently, Freeman sat down with Collier to promote his new FX show Breeders, where he plays a father of two struggling to keep up with the constant trials and tribulations of being a parent. In the interview, Freeman confirms that he will indeed be reprising his role in Black Panther 2, but he has little idea as to what’s in store for his character. Freeman said, "I'm going to be speaking to [director] Ryan Coogler soon about what shape that's going to look like. I have no idea about the script [so] I don't know what's going to happen."
Freeman also discussed his late co-star Boseman, saying that there was actually a script being written before Boseman’s untimely passing and that it feels “very, very strange” to be doing it without him. In the interview, Freeman goes on to say, "Before Chad died, the idea of doing it without him would have been a stupid idea. It would have been crazy. It was very shocking that he is not here. So, I'm as curious as you are to see what that will look like and I find out quite soon."
Marvel has already confirmed that they will not be bringing Boseman back digitally, similar to how the late Carrie Fisher was brought back posthumously in The Rise of Skywalker. The studio has also confirmed that the role of T’Challa will not be recast. This is probably the right call, as the void left by Boseman seems impossible to fill, but it does pose a lot of questions as to how the sequel will handle Boseman’s absence. Little is known about Black Panther 2 at this time, other than returning cast members like Freeman and the fact that director Coogler will also be returning to helm the film. Furthermore, Coogler is developing a series for Disney Plus that will focus on the fictional African nation of Wakanda, exploring its history and culture.
Boseman himself has been posthumously recognized for his performance as Levee Green in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom over the course of this year's awards season. The late Black Panther star's performance in the George C. Wolfe film recently earned him a posthumous Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.
You can watch the first Black Panther starring Chadwick Boseman on Disney Plus.
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Source: Collider