Actor Winston Duke spoke with the Today show about the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman.
When asked how it feels to be in production without the film’s titular character, Duke becomes visibly emotional, “It’s a gaping hole that you feel every day, and no one is the same. So even though there are moments of deep joy and play, we still feel his presence missing. And in a large way, that’s really what we’re dealing with throughout the narrative. It’s something that I think you all will feel and get to engage with, and Disney, Marvel and all of us have really thrown a lot of integrity into this piece. So, I’m really excited for you guys to get to interact with it.”
Celebrities and fans alike publicly expressed their mourning when Boseman died at age 43 in 2020 from colon cancer.
Audiences today continue to feel his impact as an actor with his roles in 21 Bridges, Black Panther, and 42.
“I always say that we walked into that project as actors and then we walked out of it ambassadors for Wakanda. We walked out of it, ‘Wakanda forever.’ It’s been something that’s the gift that keeps on giving,” said Duke on the global influence of the Marvel film. “And it’s way bigger than just a role. It’s way bigger than just a story. It’s something that means a lot to people in their lives.”
Anticipating fans await even a morsel of detail but actors like Angela Bassett, who plays Queen Ramonda in the African-themed Marvel adventure movie, remain tight-lipped on the film’s details, only saying, “It’s going to be amazing,” she added. “It’s going to top (the first) one.”
As Duke is reprising his role as M’Baku in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, he remains in the comic book realm by playing Brue Waye in Spotify’s new podcast, Batman Unburied, ranked the number one podcast on Spotify, The Source reports.
On May 3, Batman Unburied debuted globally on Spotify on May 3, according to Collider.
“What would it mean for Batman to be Black, you know? Instead of just making–Bruce Dwayne,” said Duke as he lets out a hearty laugh.
He continued: “How do I take a character that for so many years has been identified by his white privilege, he’s rich, he’s powerful, and I said where are the allegories to the Black experience and I thought what does it mean to be robbed of your lineage, what does it mean to be robbed of your family and your history?”
Duke decided to tackle the role from the angle of “what would a social justice advocate do with billions of dollars? They would tackle the justice system.”
Batman Unburied’s includes a cast of Hasan Minhaj as The Riddler, Jason Isaacs as Alfred, Gina Rodriguez as Barbara Gordon, Lance Reddick as Thomas Wayne, Toks Olagundoye as Martha Wayne, John Rhys-Davies as Dr. Hunter, and Ashly Burch as Vicki Vale.