Black Panther Makes a Strong Case for Recasting in the Wake of Chadwick’s Death.

The chief of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, addressed the problem by saying that it was too soon for Boseman to be replaced. It is not the first time that a fantasy story has been altered to compensate for his loss. The producers created Princess Leia’s role in the latest “Star Wars” trilogy using a combination of unused footage, digital trickery and other tricks to avoid replacing Carrie Fisher after her 40-year association with the role.

Director J.J. Abrams noted that filmmakers had only limited options. He described the process involving Leia in “figuring out how we can create the puzzle based upon the pieces we have” when the final sequel, “The Rise of Skywalker,” was released in 2019.

Mark Hamill, who was magically de-aged to appear in “The Mandalorian”, and other “Star Wars” characters, such as Grand Moff Tarkin, played by Peter Cushing (who died in 1994), were similarly revived for various projects. Harold Ramis was, however, posthumously in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, although he was more organically incorporated as a ghost.

It’s important to remember that this practice is now quite common. Michael Gambon took Dumbledore’s wand when Richard Harris died following “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets”. Characters like James Bond or Doctor Who are often given way to new versions with varying degrees of success without threatening decades-old franchises.

To be fair, “Wakanda forever” does as well as and probably better than one would expect in such difficult circumstances

T’Challa’s passing and the reference to Boseman create a dark chord in this superhero fantasy. It’s not impossible to deny that T’Challa’s demise is a devastating blow.

It is possible that the analogy about Leia’s puzzle was not a good fit for her character in “The Rise of Skywalker,” which is based on Harrison Ford’s and Hamill’s contributions to “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” respectively.

Despite the advancements in digital technology, sometimes there is a lack of soul to computer-generated replicants relative to what a flesh-and-blood performer can bring.

It was clear that building elements of the movie around existing material were limiting. This points to the bottom-line consideration: If creators are forced into plot and storytelling directions that are significantly different from what they would normally have, then recasting may be the best option.

This is not to suggest that there will be a perfect solution to the “impossible question.”

Although the question may seem impossible, it is easy to see that the answer lies within screen history. You just have to trust the audience enough that you choose it.