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Ribs wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 2:19 am Chadwick Boseman

Wow. Did Marvel know?

He made all those movies with Stage III/IV cancer. That's incredible. What a trooper.

You gotta be fucking kidding me. Why do I feel angry he died? Man...

What a gut punch. Not only because he was so young (one year younger than I am), and not only because no one knew he was fighting cancer, but also b/c he gave terrific performance after terrific performance. RIP.

Gonna log off and go cry about this now.

Beyond belief. RIP. I am shocked his cancer was never known before. I thought of him as a superstar for years to come. Still so young.

Yo, fuck 2020.

Devastating. He was so good in this year's best film, so go stream the Lee if you don't feel like mainlining a bunch of grey Marvel movies

It's all too depressing to see that he's gone - and just a few years after Get On Up co-star Nelsan Ellis! I loved both so this is just terrible.

The roles he either chose or was fortunate enough to land look stunning on paper: Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Black Panther, Thurgood Marshall...he wasn't diagnosed with cancer until 2016, but you could barely pick better roles if you only had so many left and you wanted to make a statement.

Shocking for his age alone, but physically he was so electric as James Brown and of course he played a super hero, so it's the last thing one would've imagined - cancer can be especially cruel in that way. Terribly sad.

I went into the James Brown biopic with a bit of doubt, but thought Boseman was terrific. A key thing is he got the voice down so well that the lip-synching to The Godfather's music worked seamlessly. Tricky too because James Brown speaks a good deal on many of his records, exhorting or bantering with band members, that his speaking voice is pretty well known. The Godfather also had a handful of film cameos in which he speaks. But really the energy and commitment to the role was impressive form Boseman. Get On Up is a solid film with a nice mixture of drama and humor. Recommended.

Truly a shame. I felt his career was only just beginning to take off, and after watching his brief but powerful role in Da 5 Bloods could’ve easily pictured him nommed in the Oscars sometime in the next five years. Even before he joined the Marvel club, his appearances in random eps of TV always felt like strong, committed performances in a sea of forgettable caricatures. He gave 110% no matter what kind, or how big, of a role it was.

Someone asked Spike Lee what impact Boseman's health had on the film, and he replied: "Nobody knew."

Also, Boseman's death recalls a discussion we had on this board earlier this year about colonoscopies, and I was surprised how many people here were not only getting them at a younger age (well before 40), but had growths removed as they were causes for concern. I think it was mentioned that doctors typically recommend them after 50, but it was suggested that it really ought to be much younger.

Yeah, though the one I got in my mid-20s wasn’t covered by insurance and was a financially-debilitating expense for me at that point in my life. U.S. health care doesn’t necessarily support these proactive measures, important as they are.

Shocking. I haven't been following his work, but I never would've expected this from someone so young. I can't believe he was able to conceal this while working. It seems that he was noticeably losing weight in recent months, but some thought it was for a role.

therewillbeblus wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:42 pm Truly a shame. I felt his career was only just beginning to take off, and after watching his brief but powerful role in Da 5 Bloods could’ve easily pictured him nommed in the Oscars sometime in the next five years.

I might be way off base here, but I feel that a posthumous nomination is very possible. The film is probably the most "prestigious" of the year, he had a short but crucial part with probably the most emotional scene, he often stole the show and he doesn't really have much competition. A nom for Delroy Lindo is practically a given (right?) and screenplay/picture/director seem relatively likely, so why not supporting actor — he anchored the movie imo (which I otherwise did not much care for). Plus, they might want to honor him since he passed away so young (and he was in the first superhero movie to be nominated for best picture just last year). Would be happy if that happens, he always seemed like a wonderful dude.

I’m legit confused on how he was able to keep this a secret, because his insurers had to know before he made any of his recent films, which means the studios had to know as well. It seems odd that the funders would not at least inform the directors, assuming Lee is telling the truth

No idea how, but I just did a quick search and found this from NPR on "cast insurance" (from 2013):

I called up Brian Kingman, managing director at Gallagher Entertainment, a film insurance broker..."If a producer has enough time, talent and money, anything is insurable," says Kingman.

Kingman's job is to help producers find coverage for their stars, and before he can get a company like Fireman's Fund or Lloyd's of London to agree to underwrite a star...he has to give them a lot of information. Stars have to undergo a medical exam and complete a questionnaire that asks them everything from do you ride horses and do you fly airplanes, to how often do you drink and do drugs?

Kingman says most of the stars are honest on these questionnaires because they sign an affidavit that gives the insurance company the right to sue them if they lie...The affidavit typically covers the last seven years.

----------------

I don't know what he could do to get around the medical exam, and even then, I doubt he'd want to expose himself to a potential lawsuit.

Beautiful letter from Coogler. And he says the same shocking thing as Lee. Not even Coogler knew and he is directing a franchise worth billions of dollars with Chad as his leading man.

Did Fiege know?

It really is remarkable that he was able to keep it to himself.

I remember his SAG Speech. That was the first time I thought he looked a bit thin. And legit, that was the first time I realized he was 40 years old. I legit thought he was late 20s/early 30s - he usually looked so good. I still have the text with a scream smiley I sent a friend saying Boseman is 41!

Earlier this year there were reports of his weight loss for a role apparently. We now have to look at it through a different lens perhaps.

I think this death and that of Andy Whitfield - lead star of Starz Spartacus series are a wakeup call for people that young and healthy people can fall prey to cancer too.

--

Another interesting conversation going on right now - whether they should recast Black Panther - surely the role of his life and surely the one his legacy rests on.

Some fans think that it will impinge upon his legacy. But Jemele Hill is actually pushing for the opposite. And I think she makes a powerful argument. Black heros need not be ephemeral. White heroes like Batman are eternal. Black heroes should be too.

Eitherways, RIP again. It is undeniable that Chad created a major monumental impact on culture and his legacy will remain forever.

There's no way they don't recast, unless there's some kind of long lost brother for the character who could serve to fill the role (and it being comics, if there's not, there could be within months)

I am going to assume he didn't keep this from the insurers and producers, because that would be grossly negligent on his part and endangered every film he worked on. If the producers knew and decided to pay his insurance costs, that's great and their call to make. If the funders in turn decided to not tell the directors, well, they're footing the bill, but that kind of info is important for the boss on set to know and seems like not a great idea to me who has never funded a film. If no one knew, that's... not an admirable story of perseverance at all.

The series has a mechanism built in for this and they could very easily recast the part with one of the women in the cast like they've done for Thor (sort of).

They recast Hulk after Ed Norton died. More likely though they just never have Black Panther take off his mask or speak again

As you all know the thing about cancer treatment is that you have to be consistent with it. I can't imagine Marvel's schedule was very conducive with that. Part of me wonders if him not being open about it contributed to an environment that allowed it to progress. I suppose we'll never really know. Hopefully this will lead to discussions about this among top brass but the cynic in me says no.

I've never read a comic book in my life, so I have no idea whether this makes sense*, but I'm calling it anyway: Lupita Nyong'o's character becomes the new Black Panther. It's respectful enough to Boseman and his legacy, checks all the boxes that have to be checked in this situation, and Nyong'o is both well known and a pretty good actor.

The two actors who got recast in the MCU films proved troublesome to the production and that was early on, while that franchise was still finding its legs. I don't think they will recast the role with another actor, it would look bad. No slight on Boseman, but he isn't even the best character in Black Panther, some of the female characters are far more fierce, especially Danai Gurira's Okoye. In the comics his sister Shuri becomes the Black Panther and as that character is in the movies, that would be another way to go forward, should they make another Black Panther film. If not they still can have characters from Wakanda in the MCU films, in the last Avengers film Okoye was the main representative from Black Panther already.