Is this your (next) king?
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
NO ONE can replace Chadwick Boseman, but when the beloved actor passed away after a long private battle with colon cancer in 2020, it left a void in one of his most iconic roles. After bringing larger-than-life figures to the big screen as James Brown in Get On Up and Jackie Robinson in 42, Boseman became a legend in his own right as Black Panther in 2016. Without Chadwick here, a movement is gaining momentum to continue his legacy by recasting T’Challa in the Marvel franchise.
Emmanuel “E-Man” Noisette is leading the charge to respectfully recast Wakanda’s king with a Change.org petition he launched in April 2021. Less than a year later, it’s close to surpassing the goal of 60,000 signatures in support of recasting T’Challa. The founder of E-Man’s Movie Reviews launched the campaign to prove that fans support the character living on and address many of the concerns about resolving such a sensitive subject.
“The #1 way to kill a legend, is to stop telling their story,” Noisette wrote. “#RecastTChalla is NOT calling for an immediate recast.
#RecastTChalla is NOT preventing anyone else from taking up the mantle of Black Panther.
#RecastTChalla is asking Marvel Studios NOT to use the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman as a plot device in their fictional storytelling.
#RecastTChalla is asking for the portrayal of T’Challa to be allowed to continue in the MCU.”
Now that E-Man proved both fans and even Chadwick’s own brother supports recasting T’Challa, he had to disprove that no other actors would want to step into the role. The Movie Blog reports that he created an anthem for the #RecastTChalla movement with Grammy-nominated artist Chief Wakil, and shared it with Black actors who could fill the Vibranium shoes. A serious contender responded.
“People been saying you would be great as T’Challa. You down?” E-Man asked.
Y’Lan Noel, who played drool-worthy Daniel on HBO’s Insecure, answered, “Haha in a blink of an eye! But it’s up to the gods!”
Not only is Noel enthusiastic about rising to the occasion, the forever fine actor has already proved he can handle emotional drama, heart-pumping action sequences, and stepping up as a major franchise’s lead actor in The First Purge. If you haven’t seen Noel lead the resistance protecting a vulnerable housing project and almost single-handedly fight off the Klan in the 2018 film, you’re in for a treat. His next starring role is in A Lot of Nothing, which debuts at SXSW this week.
Initially, Marvel said they wouldn’t recast the role because Boseman’s “portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past.”
Hopefully, thousands of fans’ support, Noisette’s thoughtful petition for the movement, and interest from stars like Noel will be enough for Marvel to reconsider their decision to remove or possibly kill off T’Challa’s character from the franchise. If we can have multiple actors bring Batman or Spider-Man to life, why get rid of T’Challa completely? If you agree with E-Man, make your voice heard with his petition.
Which actors would you pick to #RecastTChalla?