As Marvel’s Black Panther continues to top the box office some four weeks after its release, the film’s editor and regular Ryan Coogler collaborator Michael Shawver has been chatting to The Wrap about material which ended up on the cutting room floor – in particular, two scenes that were “painful” to remove.
“Hands down the most painful scene to cut was [one] with Danai Gurira and Daniel Kaluuya,” said Shawver, referring to the characters of Okoye and W’Kabi. “Toward the end, after things go bad and Killmonger [Michael B. Jordan] is in control and all that, we’re talking about, what are they going to do? What is Wakanda going to become? Those are two powerhouse actors and it was an incredible scene with so many layers to it — boyfriend and girlfriend, it was general and her advisor, all those things. That was painful.”
A second scene would have appeared earlier in the movie, featuring Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa and Forest Whitaker’s Zuri: “There’s a scene between Chadwick and Forest’s characters which sets up their relationship. It sort of lets you attach yourself to their father-son dynamic so that later on in the film … you really feel more.”
Fans will get to see these scenes, as Shawver has confirmed that both will be included as part of the bonus features on the Black Panther home-entertainment release.
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After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returnsohome to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
Black Panther sees Ryan Coogler (Creed) directing Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa alongside Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu, John Kani as King T’Chaka and Nabiyah Be as Linda.