Marvel boss Kevin Feige (49) has explained why the role of the deceased actor Chadwick Boseman in the sequel to the science fiction superhero film "Black Panther" has not been recast.

"I felt like it was way too early for a replacement," Feige told Empire. "The world is still processing the loss of Chad." According to the report, the story will now continue without the character once embodied by Boseman.

Boseman, who embodied the Marvel superhero "Black Panther" in the first film, died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. The first part starring Boseman as the prince T'Challa in the fictional, technologically advanced African state of Wakanda was a huge box office hit in 2018. The science fiction superhero film from the Marvel cosmos was cast almost exclusively with black actors.

In the trailer for the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Boseman can be seen on a mural. The sci-fi superhero film, which stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett and German 'Tatort' actress Florence Kasumba, is slated to hit theaters on November 11. Who slips into the "Black Panther" costume this time has remained secret so far.