Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently doing a number at the box office. And just like its predecessor, Black Panther, the film has received a wide range of positive reviews. The Ryan Coogler-directed film had the difficult task of paying tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa while at the same time crafting a new path forward. The success enjoyed by the film so far can be traced back to the exceptional performances put in by the cast members. Angela Bassett, who plays T’Challa’s mother, Queen Ramonda, has seen her performance in the film generate award buzz. Now, the actress who played a grieving mother and queen has spoken about a scene she had filmed with T’Challa’s son, Toussaint (Divine Love Konadu-Sun).
There was a lot to get into during the runtime of Wakanda Forever, including the introduction of Toussaint, the son born of the relationship between T’Challa and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), to his aunt, Shuri (Letita Wright). During the exchange, Shuri finds out that her mother had known about the existence of the young prince before her passing. In an interview with Variety, Bassett revealed that she had filmed a scene with young Konadu-Sun, however, it was left out from the final cut. “I filmed a scene,” Bassett says. “I did, but you know — cutting room, readjusting and reshaping it. What does Ramonda say? Oh, ‘Shuri, there’s something that I need to tell you.'”
The actress explained that the scene was cut “to make it a surprise for the audience and to Shuri. It was the right way to go. Perfect to go about it.” And surprised we were. In the cut scene, Bassett was introduced to young Toussaint as his “Nanna” by Nakia. Recalling parts of the scene, the Golden Globe-winning actress said, “I went to Haiti, of course. I met him, I was introduced to him… but it wound up on the cutting room floor.” She does have an endearing description for young Toussaint, one akin to what a grandmother would use - “precious little angel” was her description.
Just like Bassett, we would like to agree that the cut as it is was the right way to go about it given the box office performance so far. If the existence of T’Challa's son was known, it would have perhaps altered Shuri’s handling of her emotions and perhaps, Namor’s assault on Wakanda, knowing that there was a young prince on the outside. However, his existence will perhaps offer a new plot to follow should there be a third installment. Given that his aunt holds his father’s superhero mantle and M’Baku (Winston Duke) sits on his ancestral throne, Toussaint could have a lot to do should we see him again.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is playing now in theaters. Watch the trailer below: