After Chadwick Boseman died, many people probably wondered how the Black Panther franchise would handle his absence. Would they recast the role, for instance? That seems unimaginable and maybe even a little ghastly, so the next natural step would be digital magic. However, one of the film’s producers has affirmed that there will be no Chadwick Boseman double in the sequel.

Black Panther Sequel Had Yet to Begin Filming at Time of Boseman’s Death

Perhaps due to Boseman’s illness, plans for the highly-anticipated sequel were still, well, in the planning stages when he died. We know that Ryan Coogler will return to write and direct the sequel but not a lot beyond that. It’s understandably hard to fathom–how do you make a Black Panther movie without the titular character? Details are still sparse about that, but we do know a little more about what to expect when they start filming.

Sequel Will Not Feature a Digital Double of Chadwick Boseman

a digital Paul Walker in Furious 7, image via Universal Pictures

While some movies have used digital doubles to represent actors who have passed away, Black Panther 2 will not. Unlike The Fast and the Furious franchise, which digitally inserted a double of Paul Walker into Furious 7, or Rogue One using a computer-generated Peter Cushing, we won’t see that kind of thing in Wakanda. That is, according to Marvel producer Victoria Alonso.

In an interview with the Argentine paper Clarin, when journalist Pablo O. Scholz mentioned the digital double rumors, she denied the speculation, saying, “There’s only one Chadwick and he’s not with us.” She also said that “…as a character what he did elevated us as a company.” She didn’t go into specifics about what the story would be, but she did say that “…we have to think carefully about what we are going to do, and how, and think about how we are going to honor the franchise.”

But Here Are the Latest Rumors

image via Marvel

While we have no solid info on whether Shuri will be the next Black Panther–although Rotten Tomatoes says yes–we do know one thing. Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico) is in negotiations to be the next film’s villain. As Remezcla says:

It’s unclear who Huerta might play, but some fans are hoping he’ll be cast as the Marvel antihero Namor the Sub-Mariner, the superhuman son of an Atlantis princess and a human sea captain. Others would like to see Marvel introduce one of its Latino characters to the big screen by casting Huerta as a villain known as Tarantula.

We might find out next July, when Black Panther 2 is scheduled to begin filming for its May 2022 release.

But before then, share your thoughts with us in these comments or on our social media.

featured image via Marvel

Salomé Gonstad is a freelance writer who grew up in the swampy wilds of south Alabama. When she's not yelling about pop culture on the internet, she's working on a supernatural thriller about her hometown. Also, we're pretty sure she's a werewolf. Email her at salome@comicyears.com.