The Hollywood community and fans of late actor Chadwick Boseman are celebrating his legacy on what would have been his 45th birthday Monday.
The Black Panther star died in August 2020 after a four-year private battle with colon cancer. On Monday, #WakandaForever became one of the top trends on Twitter after stars like Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o, and Kerry Washington paid tribute to the star on his born day.
“Happy birthday in Heaven! Oh how you’re missed…..your talent, your heart, your legacy! Love you King,” Davis captioned an Instagram video montage of Boseman.
Davis and Boseman starred together in the acclaimed 2020 Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The project was Boseman’s final film before he passed. Davis said she “broke down” after learning about Boseman’s death late last summer.
“Lord knows we all would’ve wanted him to live another 50 years,” Davis said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. We all want longevity. But I can’t see his life tragically at all … Because I felt like he was always living in the moment, squeezing out every bit of life. What it makes me think is, it’s not the quantity, it’s the quality.”
“What I hold onto with Chad is that he lived his life his way,” Davis continued. “I would say his professional life has absolutely paralleled his personal life, that’s my guess, in terms of how he lived with the utmost integrity.”
Davis said Boseman held a special place in her heart and praised him for how seriously he took his work as an actor.
In an interview with Deadline, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, confirmed the Black Panther sequel will explore the “mythology and inspiration” of Wakanda.
Feige also debunked rumors of a computer graphics-generated version of Boseman in the sequel: “We’re not going to have a CG Chadwick and we’re not recasting T’Challa,” he said. “Ryan Coogler is working very hard right now on the script with all the respect and love and genius that he has, which gives us great solace, so it was always about furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda.”
Feige told Deadline that the sequel’s creators are focused on paying tribute to Boseman in the sequel. “There’s also the task of honoring and respecting the ongoing learnings and teachings from Chad as well,” he said.
According to Disney, Black Panther 2 is set to open in theaters on Nov. 11, 2022. The official tweet posted during Disney Investor Day reads, “Honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy & portrayal of T’Challa, @MarvelStudios will not recast the character, but will explore the world of Wakanda & the rich characters introduced in the first film.”
Check out more birthday tributes to Boseman below:
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