Chadwick Boseman’s widow has accused members of the late actor’s family of complicating plans for a documentary celebrating his life and career amid an escalating dispute over his estate.
Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman said in newly filed court documents that she has been developing the Chadwick Boseman documentary with production company Words + Pictures and is working to secure an offer from Searchlight Pictures.
Chadwick Boseman documentary offered equal terms
According to Ledward Boseman, the proposed documentary agreement was structured on a “Most Favored Nation” basis, a contractual arrangement intended to ensure that participating family members receive equal treatment.
She said both sides of the family were sent identical paperwork but claimed Boseman’s relatives subsequently asked the production company to negotiate separate agreements with them.
Ledward Boseman described the proposed arrangement as another example of her efforts to include the Boseman family in projects honouring her late husband.
She also claimed she retained complete authority to control and commercially benefit from Chadwick’s name, image, voice, signature and likeness.
The filing did not indicate that a final production agreement with Searchlight Pictures had been completed, and no release date for the proposed documentary has been announced.
Widow accuses family of failing to cooperate
Ledward Boseman said she has repeatedly consulted Chadwick’s relatives about initiatives intended to preserve his legacy but accused them of failing to extend the same consideration to her.
Her filing pointed to other projects, including the establishment of the Chadwick Boseman Foundation for the Arts and a production of the actor’s play “Deep Azure” at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
She maintained that members of Boseman’s family knew about and participated in efforts to develop the documentary.
Her claims form part of her response to a petition filed by Chadwick’s brothers, Kevin and Derrick Boseman, on behalf of their parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman.
The brothers are seeking to have Ledward Boseman removed as administrator of the actor’s estate.
Brothers question handling of estate
Kevin and Derrick have accused their late brother’s widow of failing to distribute the estate’s remaining assets and of not providing sufficient transparency about its finances.
They have asked a Los Angeles court to appoint an independent professional fiduciary and forensic accountant to investigate the administration of the estate and any allegedly unaccounted-for assets.
Ledward Boseman denies mismanaging the estate and says she has gone beyond her legal obligations in supporting Chadwick’s parents.
In a separate section of her court response, she claimed that she had paid more than US$1.7 million to Leroy and Carolyn Boseman since 2022, including US$1.5 million in May 2023.
The court has not ruled on the brothers’ request to remove her as administrator. The competing allegations remain part of an unresolved probate dispute.
Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in August 2020 at the age of 43. The acclaimed actor was best known internationally for portraying King T’Challa in Marvel’s “Black Panther”.
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