Black Panther became the first Marvel Studios movie - and superhero movie full stop, for that matter - to land an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture back in 2019, and Angela Bassett has now been hotly tipped to become the first MCU performer to be nominated for an acting award for her work in the sequel.
Oscar nomination predictions are never a sure-fire bet, or course, but analysts do tend to make at least a few accurate calls, and Variety believes that Bassett's powerful performance as the grieving Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever "will undoubtedly descend upon a wide-open Oscar race for best supporting actress."
Bassett previously received a nod for her blistering portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993's What's Love Got To Do With It? Despite seemingly being in with a good chance of a second nomination, it will likely be "contingent on how strongly Wakanda Forever resonates with Academy members."
As we know, superhero/comic book films generally don't fare so well at the Oscars - though there have been some notable exceptions. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Best Actor award for his take on The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and Joaquin Phoenix followed-suit for his interpretation of the same character in Todd Phillips' Joker.
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.
Full reviews are embargoed until November 9th, but critics were allowed to share their social media reactions last Thursday (you'll find mine below).
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