Spoilers: After Watching The Film Do You Feel They Made The Right Move In Not Recasting T’Challa?

[Detective Conan]

I plan to see the film soon, and I’m a little on the fence since I’m I don’t have much interest in a T’Challa-less BP movie, and personally do wish they recast the role but I wonder what many here who saw the film think about the subject of recasting the character after seeing the film. After seeing BP 2 do you feel they made the right call to not recast T’Challa, or do you still feel a recast should’ve been done with this film in particular?

 

[psylockolussus]

They should have Recast.

Not sure if the movie would have been better since it wouldn't be that emotional. Wakanda Forever felt like the usual MCU 2quel but slightly different because there was no T'Challa and we got a new BP. I still think T'Challa should have been a long term character.

 

[OroroGambitFan]

The creatives consulted with his wife and when they decided to do the movie they all felt it was too early to recast. They didn't feel it would be fair to the actor, who some of the audience would never except, and more importantly Nate Moore (the executive producer) said the cast wasn't interested in doing it with another actor. They admit that decision might be selfish but further explain that they have to be honest with themselves and in order to give their best there could be no authenticity from the cast and crew look g at another person who was t their brother.

Before seeing the movie, I personally wanted them to recast as well. But I also understood it's a group of people that had relations with him and were coming from a place of love wanting to do right. The truth is they were in a bad situation doing the best they could and no matter what direction they went I would piss off some folks.

I think the movie found a clever way to find a compromise that can have huge ramifications later on.

Here's an interview by the guy who started the #recastT'Chala movement, interviewing Nate:

 

[Drizzle]

It was always very much a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation because T'Challa is an incredibly important character as much as Chadwick Boseman was incredibly important to the franchise but in the end think the right call was made. As I was watching Wakanda Forever, there were plenty of moments where I thought to myself "I wish Chadwick was still with us because this would have been amazing to see him involved" but at no point did I think while watching it, "They should have recast T'Challa because the movie suffers without him". I believe the only way T'Challa would have been recast would've been if Boseman, knowing that his prognosis wasn't good, consulted with Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige and made arrangements to be involved in the recasting decision before his passing. People would have been more accepting of it if the decision came from him.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

under the circumstances, they handled the situation as respectfully as they could...

an I'll agree it would have been too soon to recast for this movie...

but, with that said, they probably didn't have killed off the character

finding some other way to explain his absences, and still allowing someone else to temporarily take over, still would have worked (not as emotionally impactful, maybe) but, bigger picture wise... having the character still alive would have been ideal

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I think they should have recast, or at least left the door open to do so later. I don't think Shuri manages to carry the mantle in T'Challa's absence well enough and by going this route they make it all but impossible to recast later (a T'Challa from another reality being stuck here doesn't feel very good).

The other option they left themselves with in the film might work OK but it won't be as good as having the proper character still here, with everything the character has built this far.

Wakanda Forver might not have had it's emotional peaks that it had now (which were the T'Challa tributes) but I think it would have made the actual story of the film better, and avoided having some repetitive character arcs. As it was the main parts of the film were quite mediocre to me.

I get why they felt it was too soon, but I don't think there would be that much backlash against the new actor if they did recast if we saw things like his brother saying that he would want the role to continue. It would very much have been a forced recasting and as long as you pay ample tribute to the one who started it, and made it great, I think it will be a clear homage and not just a replacement.

But they did what they did so not much point in arguing against that now.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

They definitely made the right call not recasting.

Again, after finding out what Mr. Boseman went through privately, fighting his battle with cancer all the while going on press tours and doing these films to entertain us, getting someone else to play his role that soon would've truly been like spitting on his grave IMO. And then had they recasted, that poor soul in the role would've been under so much scrutiny and pressure, it would not have been fair to the actor at all.

The route that Coogler and Disney went was satisfying, they crafted an emotional story that helped the world that they built and it felt very cathartic.

So all in all, yes, they made the right move in not recasting.

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

Time travel is in play, they did recast. Now for this movie the last minute change from whatever the original focus was to Shuri's grief worked for me. Perhaps if the movie was delayed longer some of the plot points to get into the conflict could have been war gamed out to something besides save the only one scientist.

 

[henzINNIT]

I have some issues with the approach taken but I still believe recasting was not an option. Too soon, too raw; would have been unfair to the remaining cast, and to the incoming replacement.

 

[OroroGambitFan]

I

I get why they felt it was too soon, but I don't think there would be that much backlash against the new actor if they did recast if we saw things like his brother saying that he would want the role to continue. It would very much have been a forced recasting and as long as you pay ample tribute to the one who started it, and made it great, I think it will be a clear homage and not just a replacement.....

Ohhhh I respectfully and STRONGLY disagree with that. If you think the #recastT'Challa was a movement i think it would've have paled in comparison to the #NotMyBlakPanter movement. I think people are right who say they would've been damned if they do and damned if they dont. Dont u rember when he passed all those saying Not to Recast!? it wasn't even close to the amount of people saying to recast. Even to this day on twitter u still hear people saying they wouldn't accept another actor. That's the reason the cast all gave-- they said they couldn't accept another answer.

So while i wanted them to recast and im still open to it-- i don't believe it would've went as smoothly as u suggest.

Think they can use time travel to pick up where the mid credit scene left off and find a nice middle ground for everyone. thinks thats the best of both worlds.

 

[Primal Slayer]

I still ultimately would've preferred a recast but ive made peace with it and the route they've taken, ultimately fine with.

 

[psylockolussus]

There's no turning back now.

However they did recast Thunderbolt Ross, so yeah.... they should have really recast.

 

[Frodo]

After seeing the film, it only affirms my belief they should have recast the part .

I understand the emotion and feelings behind not recasting, but ultimately , I do feel like the T'Challa character needed to continue in the 616, and that another actor should have taken up the role.

I've yet to see a strong enough argument ,that convinces me at least , that the role should not be recast .

I can concede that it may be too soon to recast the role, but that's different from barring the idea of recasting the role in the future.

BP: WF was a mixed bag for me, and while the tribute to Chadwick was nice, and Shuri's emotional grieving arc was pretty good, for me, the film , as a whole, wasn't so good that it made me feel the production made the right decision imo.

I get that other people feel differently, but if we're talking about my opinion, I still think they should have left the door open to recast the role.

 

[KevTravels]

All I know is the actress playing Shuri is rather weak. Needs to work on her craft.

To not have a T'Challa means the other characters need to be boosted but also means the actors/actresses need to be able to pull off a range of emotions.

 

[KevTravels]

There's no turning back now.

However they did recast Thunderbolt Ross, so yeah.... they should have really recast.

The casual audience member barely remembers William Hurt outside of his cameo in Civil War. They probably can't even think of his character's name.

 

[The Batman]

Were they right not to recast in this particular film? Yes.

Were they right to use this film to tell us T'Challa will possibly never be recast? No, not at all.

 

[TheVileOne]

It's a tough dilemma.

The movie gives me weird feelings overall.

Honestly, though, I wouldn't have even made it a Wakanda vs. Namor movie. I think that conflict fails to work and is all wrong.

Here's the problem. You recast T'Challa, who do you recast him with? Are people even going to accept the new actor?

It's not unprecedented, but it can hurt a franchise as well, especially such a lead important role.

But my general feeling about the movie is the way it deals were the emotions of grief and mourning were actually its best parts. So had they recast T'Challa and stuck with the whole Namor thing, I'm not sure it would've been a better movie.

 

[Frodo]

It's a tough dilemma.

The movie gives me weird feelings overall.

Honestly, though, I wouldn't have even made it a Wakanda vs. Namor movie. I think that conflict fails to work and is all wrong.

Here's the problem. You recast T'Challa, who do you recast him with? Are people even going to accept the new actor?

It's not unprecedented, but it can hurt a franchise as well, especially such a lead important role.

I don't know who you recast him with .
Ultimately, that's up to the production.

In terms of whether people will except them, that ,like any recast, it depends on how good the actor is and how good the script is.

If the actor is good and audiences connect with them , than yes, alot people would have excepted them.

There would have always been at least some people dissatisfied , but that's happens with recasts in general anyway.

There's always a risk when recasting , just as there's a risk casting a given role in general.

There are no guarantees an actor or actress will connect with people, nor that the material and the direction will be strong enough to help them connect with people.

But that's showbiz in general, there's alot of risk things will and won't work.
It doesn't mean you don't try them , but there aren't any guarantees.

 

[psylockolussus]

Honestly in the world we live in, things happen. So they shouldn't let their emotions be the deciding factor. If they managed to recast Thunderbolt Boss (it doesn't matter, if the character isn't a lead), they could have recast T'Challa as well. This is after all a film adaptation of the comic books. Marvel Studios probably had some grand plan for T'Challa, and I wish we saw that played out.

Letitia Wright stills feel like a supporting BP character.

 

[TheVileOne]

I don't know who you recast him with .
Ultimately, that's up to the production.

In terms of whether people will except them, that ,like any recast, it depends on how good the actor is and how good the script is.

If the actor is good and audiences connect with them , than yes, alot people would have excepted them.

There would have always been at least some people dissatisfied , but that's happens with recasts in general anyway.

There's always a risk when recasting , just as there's a risk casting a given role in general.

There are no guarantees an actor or actress will connect with people, nor that the material and the direction will be strong enough to help them connect with people.

But that's showbiz in general, there's alot of risk things will and won't work.
It doesn't mean you don't try them , but there aren't any guarantees.

Easy to say, harder to do.

 

[TheVileOne]

Honestly in the world we live in, things happen. So they shouldn't let their emotions be the deciding factor. If they managed to recast Thunderbolt Boss (it doesn't matter, if the character isn't a lead), they could have recast T'Challa as well. This is after all a film adaptation of the comic books. Marvel Studios probably had some grand plan for T'Challa, and I wish we saw that played out.

Letitia Wright stills feel like a supporting BP character.

Except Thunderbolt Ross is a relatively minor character who has only appeared a handful of times over the years. Civil War was his first appearance in eight years. And he only appeared twice more very briefly after that. In other words, it's an easier role to recast than T'Challa/Black Panther who was a marquee character.

Audiences around the globe didn't fall in love with Thunderbolt Ross like they did with Chadwick Boseman.

 

[Zyraquis]

They could have made a better/worse film with a recast, no one will ever know. All we know is that it would be a 100% different film. It’s all could have should have would have. It is what it is. I like what it is pretty well.

 

[Frodo]

Easy to say, harder to do.

As is maybe , but that still doesn't mean because it may be hard to recast, that you shouldn't attempt to recast.

There's nothing easy about casting or filmmaking in general ,let alone recasting .

It could just as easily be argued that it was more difficult for them to not recast the part and to attempt to tell the story without the T'Challa character.

I certainly don't think they took the easier and less complicated path in not recasting the role.
They took a much harder path in terms of trying to craft a story imo.
It's certainly wasn't easy for the production to craft this film.
It was clearly a challenge, but they accepted the challenge.

But look, at this point ,we can speculate all day about what would have, should have, could have happened if they recast, but the reality is ,we don't know what would have happened had they recast the role, since it didn't happen.

I don't think they should have closed the door to recasting the role and the BF:WF didn't convince me that they made the right call, despite the fact I liked how they handle Shuri's grief.

At the end of day, the film has been made , and we're all gonna have our different views on it.

 

[psylockolussus]

Except Thunderbolt Ross is a relatively minor character who has only appeared a handful of times over the years. Civil War was his first appearance in eight years. And he only appeared twice more very briefly after that. In other words, it's an easier role to recast than T'Challa/Black Panther who was a marquee character.

Audiences around the globe didn't fall in love with Thunderbolt Ross like they did with Chadwick Boseman.

To me, it isn't about whether someone is a lead character or beloved. At the end of the day, T'Challa wasn't supposed to lead only 1 Black Panther movie.

They should have put the character first. They could have waited more time to release the sequel, and people would understand, that this was a film with T'Challa as a lead and the story must go on.

Shuri just don't feel like a main character and that was more clear to me, when they included that mid credits scene...

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

Except Thunderbolt Ross is a relatively minor character who has only appeared a handful of times over the years. Civil War was his first appearance in eight years. And he only appeared twice more very briefly after that. In other words, it's an easier role to recast than T'Challa/Black Panther who was a marquee character.

Audiences around the globe didn't fall in love with Thunderbolt Ross like they did with Chadwick Boseman.

More importantly the William Hurt obituary doesn't start with Thunderbolt Ross. And his character did not ignite a political/cultural following outside of the normal MCU fan base.

I believe it was the African super state and not the particular ruler that was the key in the Black Panther box office, award nominations and general cultural discussions