There has been a lot of talk about whether or not Black Panther will nab some Oscar nominations and subsequent wins, including in the Best Picture category, which has upped the number of nominated movies in recent years. The Oscar nominations won't be announced until Tuesday, January 22, but that hasn't stopped people from assuming the Marvel flick will get noms.
In fact, if you ask Black Panther actress Angela Bassett, the movie is going to nab the Best Picture Oscar. In her head, it's won already. She said:
In my mind, it has the Oscar. I think it deserves it. I think the movie works so brilliantly on so many levels. It's superhero, marvel universe and all of that, but it connected with historians, it connected with culture, it connected globally, it just reached in and grabbed folks' hearts and their minds and shattered so many expectations and preconceived notions.
Angela Bassett was lucky enough to be a part of the little Marvel movie that could. Black Panther was released way back in February of this year. The flick was about a Marvel character that had previously been introduced but was still a lesser known Marvel character, somewhat like Iron Man or the Guardians of the Galaxy originally had been.
The movie went on to dominate the box office for some time, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide. Obviously, how much money a project has made doesn't necessarily say anything about quality.
Still, what Angela Bassett is saying to TooFab sort of is indicative of the general feeling surrounding Black Panther. It wasn't just a movie, it was a piece of cultural connective tissue in a lot of communities. It really resonated for a lot of people and opened up doors for free screenings and more. It also proved that a black ensemble cast could make over a billion worldwide, endearing itself to audiences from many different backgrounds and cultures.
To Angela Bassett, that basically seems to be winning Best Picture. To Disney, that's enough of a reason to push Black Panther in numerous categories, including the splashy Best Picture. You can take a look at the full list Disney is pushing for, as well.
There is some precedent for Black Panther to at least earn a Best Picture nomination. The Golden Globes nominations are already out, and Black Panther isup for several categories, including Best Motion Picture, Drama. It is also up for Best Original Song and Best Score. That's a huge boost in the movie's profile ahead of Oscars voting, which kicks off in January.
So far, the flick has won some MTV Movie & TV Awards, but most of the major movie awards ceremonies -- stuff like The Golden Globes, The SAG awards, The BAFTAS, The Critics Choice awards and The Oscars -- have yet to happen. Some have announced nominations and some we are still waiting on, as well.
As for the Oscars, nominations are at the end of January and the official ceremony will air on Sunday, February 24, 2019. At the time of this writing, a host has yet to be announced to replace Kevin Hart. We'll have to wait and see how awards season pans out this year, but there are certainly a lot of interesting prospects. Check out what has yet to hit theaters with our full schedule.
