ATLANTA — On Friday night, movie-lovers everywhere lost a hero.
Chadwick Boseman died after a four-year fight with colon cancer, a battle he fought privately, even as he delivered us action-packed movies.
He portrayed some of America’s biggest real-life heroes, too. From Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall to James Brown and baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
Boseman’s role as King T’Challa in Black Panther became one of the most iconic images for young Black people in America.
You can see that with just how many tributes we saw from young boys on social media. This movie was so significant for people across the United States, for Marvel Studios and for Georgia.
Boseman has filmed some of the most notable movies of his career like "Black Panther," "Avengers : End Game,"" "Get on Up," " and "42" in Georgia.
Eight years ago, Boseman walked the streets of Macon shooting the biopic of Jackie Robinson in the movie "42."
Boseman gained praise for his portrayal of the first Black player to compete in Major League Baseball.
Production filmed a good portion with him in places like High Street, Luther Williams Field and the downtown area. The movie came out in theaters in 2013.
In one of Boseman's iconic roles, he played James Brown in the 2014 movie, "Get On Up," which also filmed in Georgia.
The James Brown Family Foundation, based in Atlanta, said it was establishing an annual scholarship in his honor and issued this statement on his passing:
On behalf of the family of Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown and the James Brown Family Foundation, we send our deepest condolences to our brother in spirit Chadwick Boseman’s family and fans.
Boseman portrayed our father in the autobiography film “Get On Up” in 2014. The James Brown Family Foundation states, “We looked forward to working with Chadwick in the future to further our father’s legacy to document the ending of his life from where the movie left off.”
Boseman took his career to even greater heights when he landed the role of a lifetime, appearing as one of the first Black comic superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Not only did Boseman star in the $1.29 billion box office smash "Black Panther", but he became a cultural icon with thousands who attended film screenings dressed in wardrobe related to African culture.
Boseman continued his role as Black Panther in "Avengers : End Game" and "Avengers : Infinity War," which led to even bigger success.
"Avengers : End Game" has grossed more than $2.5 billion to date and remains one of the highest grossing films of all time.
In 2018, the Georgia Department of Economic Development reported that “Avengers: Infinity War” alone added $182 million to Georgia’s economy with studios worldwide more than half (12) of the Marvel's 22 films have been shot with the Pinewood Group.
Fans went wild when Marvel announced plans to create the sequel to Black Panther.
Boseman shared the excitement on social media by teasing a photo of director Ryan Coogler.
While the future of the "Black Panther" has not been determined, it is certain that Boseman’s legacy on film is one that fans will remember for decades to come.