Published 20:44 26 Mar 2022 GMT

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Will Outdo The First Film, Says Angela Bassett

Returning to her role as Ramonda was tough without Boseman, admitted the actor.

Imogen Donovan

Actor Angela Bassett, who played Queen Ramonda in Marvel's Black Panther, recently said that the sequel Wakanda Forever will eclipse the quality and the experience of the first film.

As we're all well aware, that's an exceedingly high bar to clear. Black Panther received seven nominations at the 91st Academy Awards and secured the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first Academy Award win for the categories Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. That's not even counting the cultural significance of Black Panther as a rare representation of African and African-American identities in the genre of superhero fiction and as an example of afrofuturism on the silver screen.

Check out our chat with Christopher Judge about the gravitas of the character of Black Panther and the universality of superhero stories here!

So, the suggestion that we might be treated to something that's even more elevated than the first film is an exciting one. In an interviewon The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Bassett said that it has been tough to return to her role without Chadwick Boseman and called her co-star an "example" that they all admired. In 2016, Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer and underwent treatment while continuing to work for films like Black Panther, Marshall, Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey and more. Tragically, complications related to his condition arose in 2020 and he passed away in his home with his wife and family surrounding him.

"[He was] an amazing talent, we all know that," said Bassett, adding that she hopes that all of cast and crew's efforts on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will raise the standard that he set. She was unable to shed any light on the sequel, understandably, but reminded fans to keep their schedules empty on November 11th. "It will be amazing," she enthused. "It is going to be amazing. It is going to top one. Can I say that?"

Production on Wakanda Forever was completed a few months ago which was a source of relief given that the movie has endured delays due to the pandemic and an injury sustained by actor Letitia Wright. Details on the story are under lock and key at the moment, yet director Ryan Coogler has aimed to respect the awe-inspiring legacy that Boseman left behind in the next chapter for the superhero.