Black Panther's Martin Freeman Says It's "Very Strange" To Make Sequel Without Chadwick Boseman

Actor Martin Freeman has spoken about returning to the role of CIA agent Everett K. Ross for the upcoming Marvel sequel Black Panther 2, and about making the movie without star Chadwick Boseman, who tragically died last year.

Speaking to Collider, Freeman revealed that the script for Black Panther 2 had been completed prior to Boseman's death from cancer last August. "Just before Chadwick died, if my memory serves correctly, the script had gone in," he said. "They had the script and they were working on the script, and then Chadwick died, and [I] sort of immediately thought, 'Oh, okay, I could see a world where there's no Black Panther then, because how can you do a Black Panther without Black Panther?'"

Freeman went on to state that while he knew he was still in the movie, he was unsure about what direction it will now take without Boseman playing T'Challa. "I'm going to be speaking to [director] Ryan Coogler soon about what shape that's going to look like," he said . "I have no idea about the script [so] I don't know what's going to happen.

"Obviously, before Chad died, the idea of doing it without him would have been a stupid idea. It would have been crazy. It was very shocking, and still is very, very strange, that he is not here. So, I'm as curious as you are to see what that will look like and I find out quite soon. All I know is that I'm in it."

Freeman's comments follow those made recently by Coogler about making the movie without Boseman. Coogler explained that it was hard to separate his personal loss from the fact he has a job to do. "I'm trying to find a work-life balance," he said. "But I'm not there yet, so this is without a question the hardest thing I've had to do in my professional life."

Black Panther 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on July 8, 2022. It was previously reported that production will start in July this year. Other returning cast members include Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong'o, and Angela Bassett, while Narcos: Mexico star Tenoch Huerta has joined the cast in a villainous role. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige previously confirmed that the role of T'Challa wouldn't be recast.

In related news, Boseman received a posthumous Oscar nomination this week for his final role, in the acclaimed Netflix movie Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.