ABC to air ‘Black Panther’ as tribute to Chadwick Boseman

NEW YORK (AP) - ABC will air “Black Panther” commercial-free Sunday as a prime-time tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

The film will be followed by an ABC News Special, “Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King.” Disney said the special “will celebrate Boseman’s storied life, legacy and career” and “shine a light on the medical condition he privately battled.”

Boseman died Friday after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43.

Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC, released “Black Panther” as well as the other three Marvel movies Boseman appeared in. The film will be broadcast at 8 p.m. EDT, with the special following at 10:20 p.m. EDT.

“Black Panther” won three Oscars, was nominated for best picture and grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide.

Sunday’s airing will make the film widely watchable at the same time in several regions and could a collective place to celebrate and grieve Boseman. He is the latest major Black figure to die in 2020, which has already seen the loss of civil rights legend John Lewis and retired NBA star Kobe Bryant.

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This story has been corrected to fix spelling of Boseman’s name in the title of the ABC News special.