Marvel has officially announced that a third instalment of the Black Panther series is on the horizon, following the success of the first two movies.
While expressing gratitude to producer Nate Moore, who is branching out to produce beyond the company, Marvel’s president Kevin Feige disclosed that the upcoming Black Panther film will be Moore’s final Marvel project.
In a heartfelt statement, Feige said: “Nate is a fantastic executive and colleague as well as a wonderful friend to all of us here at Marvel Studios. He has been a core member of our team since 2010, and his influence will continue to reverberate in our storytelling.”
“Although we’ll miss him a great deal, we look forward to watching what he does next while also having the good fortune of working with him in a new way on our next Black Panther movie.”
Reflecting on his future endeavours, Nate enthused: “Nearly everything I know about producing I’ve learned from my time at Marvel Studios.”
“I feel lucky to have worked with a group of people who love filmmaking and storytelling as much as my Marvel colleagues and the cast and crew of our films. But I couldn’t be more excited to apply my experience and passion for film towards theatrical movies in all genres, including returning to the world of Wakanda for Black Panther 3.”
Despite the buzz around the announcement, some fans are hesitant about a third chapter, particularly in light of Chadwick Boseman’s passing after the original film, reports the Express.
One fan expressed their sadness on Reddit, writing: “This IP died with Chadwick. There will never be another Black Panther anywhere close to what he created on screen. Just let it go.” Another fan concurred, writing: “Yeah, one of my favourite Marvel characters. But I agree that without Boseman it just won’t be the same.”
A separate commenter stated: “I don’t want to watch another Black Panther movie without T’Challa, and no I don’t mean T’Challa Jr.”
Another fan chimed in, saying: “2 was a train wreck but I guess they really want to keep this particular part of the franchise alive at all costs for reasons,” as a fifth person shared: “Meh, Black Panther died with Chadwick. You couldn’t pay me to care about this franchise post-endgame.”
The original Black Panther film, released in 2018, achieved massive commercial success, earning $1.35 billion at the box office. The sequel, Wakanda Forever, which came out in 2022, generated a substantial $859.2 million, but fell short of surpassing the first film’s record.
Following Chadwick’s passing in 2020 after a battle with colon cancer, Marvel opted not to re-cast his character, T’Challa/Black Panther, and instead chose to advance the story by focusing on other characters.
A release date for Black Panther 3 is yet to be revealed