Nate Moore, who’s produced Marvel Studios movies including Black Panther and Eternals, just told podcaster Van Lathan about moving on in the MCU without Chadwick Boseman. 

The celebrated actor, who played T’Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War and his own blockbuster stand-alone film, died in 2020 after a private battle with cancer. 

“I’m not hedging my bets. I’m being quite honest. You will not see T’Challa in [future Marvel films]” Moore told Van Lathan, referring to their choice not to re-cast the part. “We just couldn’t do it.” 

Moore continued, “When Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with [director Ryan] Coogler about what do we do, and it was a fast conversation. It wasn’t weeks, it was minutes of we had to figure out how to move that franchise on without that character.”

Moore says, “Because I think we all feel so much of T’Challa on the screen — not in the comics — is tied to Chadwick’s performance, is what he brought to that role both on and off-screen…”

“So as hard as it has been narratively to figure out what to do, because that’s a big hole, at no point did we consider recasting,” Moore declared. “So the challenge for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is telling a story without T’Challa.”

Moore said of the 2022 sequel, “there will be a level of…catharsis in people coming back this universe without that guy, because that guy and that universe to me are one in the same.”  He added, “as filmmakers…you have to figure out… what you want that movie to say about that guy who’s not going to be in it.”

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

MCU VP of Development Nate Moore puts to rest any discussion about recasting the character of T’challa as Black Panther. Says he talked with Ryan Coogler about it, and “we just couldn’t do it” more on @RingerVerse. T’challa is gone guys you agree or no? pic.twitter.com/MYoWKyqlmF

— Van Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) November 14, 2021