Yesterday we reported that fans were concerned about the health of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. The actor displayed an impressive physique in his MCU appearances, but shocked fans when he appeared looking almost unrecognizably gaunt in a new Instagram video. Some theorized that he’s just naturally skinny when he’s not bulking up for a superhero role, some feared he’s secretly seriously ill and some claimed he must be losing weight for an upcoming job.
I had a look through Boseman’s IMDb page to see what future project might warrant this, concluding that the most likely was Yasuke. In the historical drama, the actor will play the only known Samurai of African origin, fighting under famous general Oda Nobunaga. However, while the film is in development, it’s nowhere near ready to go before the cameras.
But another candidate may be more likely: Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. The film’s about a group of Vietnam vets returning to the jungle to recover the remains of their fallen squad leader and find some buried treasure. It sounds like a survival story with the cast battling nature, so perhaps Boseman’s character loses weight while trying to survive? The thing is, Da 5 Bloods is already in the can and filming took place in March and April of 2019, so unless there are reshoots scheduled, that factor might blow a hole in this theory.
For now, I think questions remain as to what’s going on with the actor. Perhaps what we saw yesterday is just an unfortunate video and he’s a lot healthier than he appears to be, but the longer he stays silent on the issue the more fans will worry about his condition.
Here’s hoping we see him back to full strength soon as he prepares for his return to the throne of Wakanda in 2022’s Black Panther II.