While still trying to figure out how to continue with the franchise, Marvel Studios has announced that it will not use technology to digitally recreate the late Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther 2.

“There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s no longer with us,” Marvel Studios executive vice president of production Victoria Alonso, said in an interview. “Sadly, our king has died in real life, not only in fiction, and we’re taking a little time to see how we continue the story and how to honor this chapter of what has unexpectedly happened to us, so painful and terrible to be honest. Chadwick wasn’t only a wonderful human being, every day of the five years we spent together, but also, I believe, that what he did as a character elevated us as a company, and has left his moment on history.”

She continued, “I know that sometimes in productions, two or three months go by and we say that too much time has passed. But it’s not too much time. We have to really think about what we’re going to do next and how, and decide how we’re going to honor the franchise.”

The sequel to the original was initially scheduled for May 6, 2022, but with COVID-19 restrictions and the sudden death of its lead actor, there’s a big possibility it will be delayed.