Marvel Studios has dropped the first trailer for its upcoming Disney+ series What If…?, based on the popular comics.
The nearly two-minute clip features the late Chadwick Boseman reprising his iconic Black Panther character, T’Challa. The beloved actor died in August 2020 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer.
Watch the trailer below.
What If…? will explore many hypothetical scenarios of major events in the Marvel universe, such as, per THR, “what if T’Challa was not the Black Panther but rather Star-Lord for the Guardians of the Galaxy?”
Several MCU stars are reportedly back to voice their characters including Michael B. Jordan (Killmonger), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Marc Rufflo (Hulk), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L. Jackson, (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Duggan), Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark), Sean Gunn (Kraglin), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Stanley Tucci (Dr. Abraham Erskine), Taika Waititi (Korg), Toby Jones (Arnim Zola), Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Michael Rooker (Yondu), and Chris Sullivan (Taserface).
Jeffrey Wright will narrate each episode as the Watcher.
What If…? hails from writer A.C. Bradley with Bryan Andrews directing. Producers include Marvel boss Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum. The project is Marvel Studios’ first animated series since becoming its own production company.
The first episode will hit the Disney+ streaming platform on Aug.11, with subsequent episodes debuting every Wednesday.
Black Panther filmmaker Ryan Coogler is currently in production on the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due out next year.
As theGrio previously reported, the follow-up to the 2018 blockbuster has been in the works for years, and now, fans are finally closer to getting it.
Feige released an official statement regarding the return to set for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
“It’s clearly very emotional without Chad, but everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans,” Feige shared at the global Black Widow fan event in Los Angeles in June. “We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud.”
As theGrio previously reported, Coogler opened up about his writing process on Black Panther 2 after the loss of Boseman, calling it “the hardest thing he’s ever had to do.”
“I’m still currently going through it,” he said on Jemele Hill’s Unbothered podcast. “One thing that I’ve learned in my short or long time on this Earth is that it’s very difficult to have perspective on something while you’re going through it.”
He continued, “This is one of the more profound things that I’ve gone through in my life, having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person who is like the glue who held it together.”
“You have a professional life, you’ve got a personal life,” Coogler concluded. “I’m going to say that when you work in something that you love, those things blend, they come together. I’m trying to find a work-life balance. 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: Wakanda Forever is currently set to premiere on July 8, 2022.
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