Chadwick Boseman's death came as a shock to
many and left fans all over the world at a
complete loss. He'd become a household name
following his run as T'Challa in Marvel Studios'
Black Panther and took part in the biggest
movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame.
"Give it to me."
Boseman bravely fought a four-year-long battle
with colon cancer, which he kept a total secret
from the public, and appeared as strong as
ever. Now that the once-in-a-lifetime talent
is gone, fans are wondering how much more
of Boseman's work will be released.
For as big a star as he was, Boseman didn't
have a lot of future projects in the works,
but what many don't realize is that the 43-year
old actor had much bigger aspirations in the
entertainment industry. In fact, he had plans
for at least one non-acting project in particular
that was announced recently and was beginning
to take shape.
A mere ten days before his unexpected passing,
the news broke that Boseman was putting together
a project with Family Guy and American Dad
creator Seth MacFarlane titled Little Rock
Nine. The limited series is set in 1957 in
Little Rock, Arkansas, focusing on nine Black
students as they work to situate themselves
in a previously all-white Central High School
in the wake of the 1954 Brown v. Board of
Education Supreme Court ruling, which declared
segregation unconstitutional in the United
States.
The show derives its story from the real-life
historical figures in the Little Rock Nine
and from the memoir A Mighty Long Way: My
Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central
High. The author, Carlotta Walls LaNier, was
the youngest of the group and made history
as the first Black woman to graduate from
the school, making her life and experiences
during the civil rights movement the central
thrust of the program.
"When I walked across that stage when they
called my name and gave me that diploma, that
was it for me."
In an August 2009 interview with NPR, Walls
LaNier opened up about what motivated her
to write her memoir. After attending a 30th
anniversary event for the Little Rock Nine
at Central High, and after speaking with Bill
Clinton, who was the governor of Arkansas
at the time, Walls LaNier felt writing about
her experience would be beneficial. She said:
"I thought that maybe I should do this and
see how it works with talking to young people
that — at the age that I was at that time.
And that started me talking to high school
students. And from there, it took a long time,
though, I must admit, to get to this point
of writing my memoir because I had pushed
so much into the recesses of my mind, and
it had to be pulled out. And it was painful."
Alongside MacFarlane, Boseman signed on to
executive produce the series, but his untimely
death has undoubtedly, and understandably,
brought Little Rock Nine's production to a
halt for the time being.
After news of Boseman's untimely death broke,
MacFarlane joined the countless celebrities
who have taken to Twitter to remember the
talented actor who was so much more than just
a movie and TV star. He was a kind-hearted
person and a great man, and that's something
everyone — MacFarlane included — recognized.
He wrote:
"Deeply saddened over the passing of Chadwick
Boseman. A great talent and a kind man gone
far too soon. My thoughts are with his family
and friends during this very difficult time."
