Angela Bassett says the Black Panther sequel will be even bigger and better than the first one.
Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in an episode airing Monday, the star says the film will be “amazing” and called writer-director Ryan Coogler “the perfect leader.”
Noting she couldn’t reveal too much, she said: “It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to top [the first] one. Can I say that?”
DeGeneres said how hard it must have been for the cast to return for a sequel without original star Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, aka Black Panther, in the first film. Boseman died Aug. 28, 2020, after a yearslong battle with colon cancer. Bassett played his mother, Ramonda, the Queen Mother of Wakanda.
“He was such an example, such a leader, an amazing talent — we all know that,” she said. “Big heart, great intellect, and we just hope to raise his standard.”
The first film, which was released in February 2018, earned $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters Nov. 11.
Watch Bassett’s interview with DeGeneres below.
