Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, has claimed that members of the late actor’s family are making it difficult for her to move forward with a documentary celebrating his life and legacy.
According to court documents, Simone said she has been working with production company Words + Pictures on a documentary about the Black Panther star. She said she is also in the process of securing an offer from Searchlight Pictures to produce the project.
According to Simone, the proposed deal is structured on a “Most Favored Nation basis”, which she said would ensure equal treatment for both sides of Boseman’s family. She claimed identical paperwork was provided to both parties. However, Simone alleged that members of Boseman’s family requested separate agreements from the production company.
She described her efforts to involve them as another example of her generosity towards the Boseman family, claiming she retains “100% right to control and benefit from Chadwick’s name, image, voice, signature, likeness etc.” Simone also said she “has tried to consult with Chadwick’s family at all times with respect to activities she has undertaken to honor Chadwick’s legacy”, but alleged that his relatives “have not done the same.”
The documentary dispute comes amid an ongoing disagreement over the administration of Boseman’s estate. Boseman’s brothers have sought to have Simone removed as administrator of the estate, alleging that she has not been sufficiently transparent about its finances.
Simone has denied those allegations and maintains that she has gone beyond what was required in working with Boseman’s family. She has also claimed that she provided members of the family with more money than she was obligated to give them. The claims form part of an ongoing legal dispute, and no court determination resolving the competing allegations was stated in the source report.
