‘It’s news to us’: Black Panther 3 producer responds to rumors that the Marvel movie’s titular hero will be played by a different actor for the third time

• Marvel isn’t actively looking to find another actor to play T’Challa in Black Panther 3
• Industry insiders have suggested the comic giant is planning to recast the character
• However, no discussions have taken place yet, according to one of its producers

Marvel isn’t actively looking for another actor to replace the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa in its cinematic universe.

That’s according to Nate Moore, who told TechRadar that the comic book titan hadn’t discussed the prospect of recasting the character for Black Panther 3. Moore, who’s among the film’s many producers, said fans should ignore recent rumors that Marvel was finally ready to cast another actor as T’Challa and, in the process, hand the Black Panther mantle to another star for the third time.

Boseman passed away in August 2020 after privately battling bowel cancer. In the years since the beloved actor’s death, Marvel has batted away questions that it would recast T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Indeed, speculation was rife about who would replace Boseman as T’Challa in the months prior to principal photography beginning on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the 2022 sequel to 2018’s multi-billion dollar-making and 2019 Best Picture Oscar nominee Black Panther. As it turned out, Marvel decided not to recast T’Challa and, as part of Wakanda Forever‘s plot, passed the African nation’s protector-in-chief role onto Letitia Wright’s Shuri, aka T’Challa’s brother.

With Marvel now confirming Black Panther 3 is in early development – studio head Kevin Feige admitted it was in the wake of Denzel Washington accidentally stating he’d have a role in it – the recasting rumor mill has restarted. In January, MCU leaker Jeff Sneider claimed Marvel had offered the role to an unnamed actor, but they turned it down due to their concerns with filling Boseman’s iconic shoes. MyTimeToShineHello, another insider with a questionable track record for leaking information about Marvel projects, has also suggested that Marvel wants to find an actor to play T’Challa’s son (also named T’Challa), who viewers met in Wakanda Forever‘s mid-credits scene.

Moore, though, is clearly baffled by the hearsay surrounding any casting news about the studio’s next Black Panther film. When I asked if he could comment on the rumors, Moore smiled and said: “There’s no truth to those rumors.