AceShowbiz - Chadwick Boseman had high hope to return for "Black Panther 2" despite battling colon cancer. According to a new report, the late actor believed that he would beat his cancer to film the sequel until about a week before his death.

A source close to the "Marshall" star tells The Hollywood Reporter that the SAG Award-winning actor, who had become noticeably thin in recent months, was convinced that he would be able to gain weight and get back in shape for the production of the sequel which is slated to kick off in March 2021. He was even said to be ready to begin the preparation for the filming in September.

On how Disney grapples with the shocking news of Boseman's passing, a source says the studio is "processing the grief of losing a loved one ... while having to face the economic realities of forging ahead with a billion-dollar franchise without its titular star." The 43-year-old actor was poised to appear in other interconnected films, as he already had done in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War", 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War" and last year's blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame".

In honor of the late actor, Disney is said to have shifted its focus to pay tribute to Boseman and not on the making of a "Black Panther" sequel at this stage.

As reported before, only a handful people of Boseman's very close inner circle knew his cancer diagnosis, so the news of his death on August 28 sent shock waves through Disney and the tight-knit Marvel Cinematic Universe. As to how the T'Challa depicter was able to keep his diagnosis under wraps from the studio for years, film finance attorney Schuyler Moore says a Marvel star wouldn't likely require a medical examination for insurance purposes.

"Big studios don't often [get] completion bonds," says Moore. "They are more prevalent in the indie filmmaking world. Sometimes, the big studios will look to insure for a particular actor, but they usually have a particular reason for doing so. Otherwise, studios will just shoulder the risk [of sickness or death]."