There's a lot of anticipation right now for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever because of many reasons including how they will address T'Challa's absence as a result of Chadwick Boseman's passing back in 2020.
For fans, it's going to be an emotional journey to see a Black Panther film without the titular hero as we know it. So what was the experience like for the actors who are in the film?
Speaking with Collider, Martin Freeman, who plays Everett K. Ross, was asked about his experience filming the upcoming sequel without the presence of Boseman on the set to which he shared that it was a "strange" and "odd" experience for them, but he does trust director Ryan Coogler on how they will properly handle the absence.
"It was strange, that side of it. On the one hand, you're making the film that you're there to make, and there are scores and scores of people on set, joined in this endeavor to make the film," Freeman said. "But there's also no question that, at the heart of it, there's quite a gap now, and you felt it. With full respect to Ryan Coogler and everybody else, who's sweating and bleeding to get this thing done properly, it was fun. It was enjoyable. I was in and out of it quite quickly, I think. But I like playing Everett Ross. He's a very fun character to play. He's nicely simpatico for the story. He's a good guy."
He continued, "But it was odd. Of course, it was odd with Chadwick [Boseman] not being there. There's no way around that. I think everyone would find it pretty strange and sad, but at the same time, life things don't just end. It's not like, ‘Well, that's that's happened, so we just all have to go off and never do it again.’ But it was odd. When he passed, I thought, ‘Okay, well maybe there just won't be another one.’ But there are still other stories to tell within that world and other great characters. I think, and I hope that we've made a good film. I trust Ryan Coogler a lot."
A lot of fans are still reeling from the death of Boseman and are also anxious to see how the upcoming film will be able to properly address his absence and move forward with another character taking the Black Panther mantle which we still don't know as of now who they are going to assign to be the new King or Queen of Wakanda.
Hopefully, Marvel was able to find a way to properly address the absence of Boseman/T'Challa in the upcoming film, especially since he left big shoes to fill as the character was widely beloved by fans worldwide prior to his death. It looks like we may have to wait for either the first teaser trailer or the film's release to find out what Wakanda looks like without T'Challa around and how the characters around him will deal with it.
Also Read: Black Panther 2 Listing Confirms MCU Return of W'kabi: Will He Vie for the Throne?
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to be released in theaters on November 11.
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