The spirit of “Black Panther” and Chadwick Boseman still lives on. The Television Academy gave one last honor to the late actor’s greatness with an Emmy nomination Tuesday morning.
With the announcement of the Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, Boseman received a posthumous nom for outstanding character voice-over for his famous role of T’Challa in the animated series “What If…?” from Disney+ and Marvel Studios.
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Boseman also received a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance in George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Anthony Hopkins ultimately won that year for his work in “The Father.”
Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August 2020 at 43, has a legacy that remains prominent in pop culture and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with the upcoming sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” scheduled to hit theaters later this year. The first film became the first superhero movie to be nominated for best picture, ultimately winning three statues (production design, costumes and original score). Director Ryan Coogler returns for the sequel, which has had plot details under wraps for quite some time.
Created by head writer A. C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews, “What If…?” premiered on the Disney+ streaming platform in August 2021, marking Marvel’s first animated series. The anthology show explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the MCU films occurred differently.
Boseman’s episode titled “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” was the second of the nine-episode series that also included actors Michael Rooker, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro and Danai Gurira.
Boseman wasn’t the only posthumous recognition at the Emmys this year.
After surprising audiences with a final stand-up special titled “Nothing Special,” Netflix managed to get Norm Macdonald his first Emmy nomination posthumously for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded).
Dropping on the last date of the Emmy eligibility period, May 31, the special is the final work of the late comedian, who died at the age of 61 in August 2021 after a battle with cancer. Several comedians and friends of Macdonald — including Adam Sandler, Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, David Spade and Molly Shannon — participated in a conversation about his life and legacy at the end of the special.
Macdonald is listed as the writer and director of the special, along with Jeff Tomsic in directing. The special is executive produced by Macdonald, Marc Gurvitz, Lori Jo Hoekstra, John Irwin and Casey Spira.
The comedian got his start in showbiz as a writer on “Roseanne” in 1992 before joining the cast of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 1993. He began his memorable stint as an anchor on “Weekend Update” the following year, serving on the segment until early 1998, when he was replaced by Colin Quinn.
At the 73rd Primetime Emmys ceremony, winners John Oliver and “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels dedicated their victories to Macdonald’s memory.
Jessica Walter, who was recognized last year for her voice-over performance in FX’s “Archer,” earned two consecutive posthumous noms for the same role, in the same series this year and last year.
Previous posthumous nominations include Fred Willard (“Modern Family”), director Lynn Shelton (“Little Fires Everywhere” and “Orthodox”), Carrie Fisher (“Catastrophe”) and Anthony Bourdain (“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”).
The list of winners is substantially smaller including Ingrid Bergman (“A Woman Called Golda”), Audrey Hepburn (“Gardens of the World With Audrey Hepburn”), Diana Hyland (“The Boy in the Plastic Bubble”), Raúl Juliá (“The Burning Season”) and Marion Lorne and Alice Pearce (“Bewitched”). Since 1980, Julia is the only performer to be nominated and win an Emmy Award posthumously.
The 74th Emmys will air on Monday, Sept. 12.
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