Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has one particular scene that moved the crew so much that they gave it a standing ovation. The film, which was the final theatrical outing of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, premiered on November 11, 2022, going on to become sixth highest-grossing film of the year worldwide. The film followed the fallout in Wakanda after the death of the Black Panther T'Challa and the ways that the power vacuum was handled by grieving characters including T'Challa's sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and mother Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett).
Recently, THR aired a round table discussion with various film producers, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore. He revealed that one way he likes to measure the success of a movie is the way that the crew reacts to sequences on set. Because it is their workplace, and they've generally seen it all, a scene has to be extra special to capture their attention. One scene that accomplished this, and that the crew awarded "a standing ovation," was the moment where Ramonda fires Dora Milaje leader Okoye (Danai Gurira) after she loses Shuri, channeling all her grief and rage into the scene. Read his full quote below:
When the crew feels really invested, you get a little comfort, because these are all people who watch movies too. They’re your beta test even before a test screening…
There’s an amazing scene in the film where Queen Ramonda (played by Angela Bassett) fires Danai Gurira’s Okoye. And I’ve been around lot of crews, and they’re somewhat inured to great performances because they get to see them so often. But it was a standing ovation. Because in the room you felt the energy, and the crew goes “Oh, there’s something special about this one…”
Will Angela Bassett Win An Oscar for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Bassett's performance as Queen Ramonda has been well-regarded by fans across the globe, but the power that she showed off in the room and on the screen has also broken barriers this awards season. The actress took home a Golden Globe for Best ing Actress for the performance, her first nomination since she won for playing Tina Tuner in 1993's What's Love Got to Do with It. This marks the first time that any actor has won a solo award for a performance in a Marvel movie.
While the original 2018 Black Panther was an awards magnet, even being nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture (the title that eventually went to Green Book), that film didn't even manage to swing a nomination for acting, let alone a win. In fact, not a single one of the previous 29 films in the franchise have been nominated for acting at either the Oscars or the Golden Globes, though they frequently feature in the technical categories. Bassett's ability to channel her very real grief into her onscreen performance, however, has broken that barrier.
With the Oscar nominations coming up this Tuesday, it is looking like a sure thing that Bassett will at least be nominated for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While she will likely also be facing off against some of her Golden Globe 2023 co-nominees, including Everything Everywhere All At Once's Jamie Lee Curtis and Triangle of Sadness' Dolly De Leon, she has every opportunity to keep the train rolling and take home the gold. Should she win, this would be her first Oscar after being nominated for What's Love Got to Do With It.
Source: THR
