Angela Bassett says Chadwick Boseman’s passion will inspire ‘Black Panther 2’

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Even before the Marvel sequel lost its main character to cancer, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever I was always thinking about how to get over grief and loss.

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After becoming the first Marvel film to feature a predominantly black cast, co-writer and director Ryan Coogler’s continuation of Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa/Black Panther will bring 2019’s Tragic Events to life. You’ve seen dealing with the fallout from . Avengers: Endgame.

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But after Boseman’s passing in 2020, Coogler and his cast had to figure out a way to honor the actor’s legacy while diving further into the world of pretend superheroes Boseman loved so much. I did.

Boseman’s cancer diagnosis wasn’t shared with his Marvel colleagues, so it came as a shock to him that he died just weeks before starting work on the sequel. black panther family. In an interview with Sunhis co-star Angela Bassett spoke about how Boseman’s dedication to his craft was the inspiration for the set during the production of the film, which hits theaters today.

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“He was never forgotten,” says Bassett, who plays Queen Ramonda. Ramonda is the famous hero mother of Boseman, who led the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda.

Bassett, who has garnered Oscar buzz for her portrayal of a mother grieving the loss of her son, gets an enhanced part in the follow-up. Engage in battle with entities seeking to exploit the indestructible source of vibranium. As Wakanda seeks healing, a new hero emerges to take on the mantle of Black Panther.

Being part of the vast world Coogler has created was a dream come true for Bassett.

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Currently 64 years old, 9-1-1 Starr was one of the early names that made noise when producers were first trying to cast Mutant Storm x men movie.

“I thought about doing something like this years ago, decades ago,” she said on a Zoom call from Los Angeles. “There was talk of a possible comic book[movie]but I didn’t know the scale of it, so it didn’t press. I thought it was over, but it wasn’t.”

First conceived in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the big-screen solo introduction to the hero, released in 2018, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and became a global box office hit. Set in a fictional African country, home to high technology, the standalone story captivates audiences with the story of a young king who is forced to don a Black Panther suit following the assassination of his father. did.

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Bassett thought the ambitious, visually dazzling epic would appeal to Marvel fans and “people I met at Comic-Con”. However, she was surprised to see how the photo turned out to be a breakthrough success.

“It was amazing to cross those boundaries and make it transgenerational,” she says. “I’ve seen four-year-olds go crazy over the moon and have their own way of understanding what this world is. I’ve seen my great-grandparents in their 90s thinking and excited…that’s what surprised me about the film and how the audience received it. It was my first time in.”

To ensure they could recreate the magic of the first film, Bassett recalls Coogler wearing a pendant with Boseman’s face set on it each day as he navigated the sequel.

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“We saw it every day. It was as if Chadwick was part of our conversation. It was there for us every step of the way.”

But even before filming began, Bassett says Coogler and producer Nate Moore invited the cast to Bozeman’s resting place in South Carolina.

“We were able to remember him, the conversations and times and ways in which he touched us and affected us. It was great to hear all the stories from all the people about how they made you feel.

Oscar nominees turn their collective grief into triumph by paving new storytelling avenues for Shuri, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and M’Baku (Winston Duke) It was a healing moment that helped in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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“We took time out for our brother and his memory and asked him to be with us in spirit. In a way, I think he was there.” I was horrified when I had to sit on a throne that would never sit again, but I just thought, ‘I have to do what Chadwick does.’ It’s about working hard, being kind, and loving those around you. “

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently in theaters.

mdaniell@postmedia.com