Ryan Coogler, the director and co-writer of Marvel's Black Panther, has extended his relationship with the Walt Disney Company. His production company, Proximity Media, has signed a five-year overall executive television deal with Disney, where he will be developing new television series' for the studio. The first television series Ryan Coogler will be creating with Disney, to be aired on Disney Plus, is a drama based in the kingdom of Wakanda from Black Panther.
Coogler said of the deal, "It’s an honor to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on Black Panther was a dream come true. As avid consumers of television, we couldn’t be happier to be launching our television business with Bob Iger, Dana Walden, and all the amazing studios under the Disney umbrella. We look forward to learning, growing, and building a relationship with audiences all over the world through the Disney platforms. We are especially excited that we will be taking our first leap with Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and their partners at Marvel Studios where we will be working closely with them on select MCU shows for Disney+. We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t wait to share."
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Coogler's Wakanda series would be the latest in a series of live-action Disney Plus shows set in the MCU. The first of these Marvel series', WandaVision, is currently streaming on Disney Plus, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki airing this spring. Several shows are in various stages of production, including Hawkeye, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel. The role of Ironheart has been cast, with production on the series presumably soon to follow.
While further details have yet to be shared about the Wakanda based series, the prospect alone of a show set in that world is very exciting. Black Panther was massively successful, grossing over $1.3 billion in the box office. The star of the film, Chadwick Boseman, tragically died in August 2020 after a long fight with colon cancer. Alongside the television series, Coogler is working on a sequel to Black Panther and will not be recasting the Black Panther out of respect for Boseman and the character he embodied.
Marvel audiences are interested in seeing how the world of Black Panther will be moving forward without its lead. Many fans theorize that the second film will focus on one of the other characters in the film, with others suggesting one of those characters will take up T'Challa's mantle of the Black Panther after his passing. While everyone will have to wait to see what Coogler has in store, a television series set in Wakanda assures fans that there are more stories to be told in this world and clear plans to expand the franchise.
Black Panther 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 8, 2022.
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Source: Deadline