Chadwick Boseman’s devastating passing shocked the acclaimed actor’s fans and friends who were unaware that he was secretly battling colon cancer over the last four years. Among the many startled by his death are the studio executives at Disney, who are now grappling with how they should move on with the sequel for Black Panther.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Boseman was certain he would beat cancer and regain the weight he’d lost in recent months by the time the film went into production in March. On Friday (Aug. 28), however, Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige received an urgent email regarding the actor who died before he could even read the message.

Boseman’s character T’Challa aka Black Panther makes an appearance in various Marvel series including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but gained most of his acclaim after the release of Black Panther in 2018. WIth Boseman gone, Disney is not sure how to move forward with the billion dollar franchise or any of the other films without him.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Disney could replace Boseman with another actor. The other option, as presented in one of the comic book series on which the book is based, is to have T’Challa’s sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, become the new Black Panther.

Following Boseman’s passing, Marvel Studios and members of the Black Panther cast mourned his death with heartfelt tributes.

Ryan Coogler, who directed the Black Panther film, confessed that he is sad he will never get the chance to hear Boseman say the words he’d been writing up for him in the sequel.

“I spent the last year preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say, that we weren’t destined to see,” he wrote. “It leaves me broken knowing that I won’t be able to watch another close-up of him in the monitor again or walk up to him and ask for another take.”