In a recent interview with Collider, Martin Freeman, the star of The Hobbit trilogy, confirmed that he would be returning to the MCU for Black Panther 2, and addressed making the sequel without Chadwick Boseman. In the first film, Freeman played CIA agent Everett K. Ross. 

“Yeah, I am doing the second Black Panther. I’m going to be speaking to Ryan Coogler soon about what shape that’s going to look like,” Freeman said during the interview. “I have no idea about the script [so] I don’t know what’s going to happen.” 

After the loss of Boseman August 28 last year, it seemed uncertain if the role of T’Challa would be recast or not. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige later confirmed during Disney’s Investor Day livestream that the role of T’Challa would not be recast. 

“Just before Chadwick died, if my memory serves correctly, the script had gone in,” Freeman continued. “They had the script and they were working on the script, and then Chadwick died, and [I] sort of immediately thought, ‘Oh, okay, I could see a world where there’s no Black Panther then, because how can you do a Black Panther without Black Panther?’ So, I still don’t know what that’s going to look like. And no, obviously, before Chad died, the idea of doing it without him would have been a stupid idea. It would have been crazy. It was very shocking, and still is very, very strange, that he is not here. So, I’m as curious as you are to see what that will look like and I find out quite soon. All I know is that I’m in it.” 

Fruitvale Station and Creed director Ryan Coogler is set to return as director and is penning the script. Black Panther 2 is currently slated to release July 8, 2022.