Ryan Coogler to Bring Wakanda-based TV Series to Disney+
Wakanda forever. With WandaVision now halfway through its run as the first-ever Marvel series to bow on Disney+, Disney has now tapped Black Panther co-writer/director Ryan Coogler to start developing a new series for their streamer. Coogler has a new five-year deal with Disney, via his Proximity Media, to develop a Wakanda-based Disney+ series, as well as working on other shows within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation,” said Disney executive chairman Bob Iger in a statement. “With Black Panther, Ryan brought a groundbreaking story and iconic characters to life in a real, meaningful, and memorable way, creating a watershed cultural moment. We’re thrilled to strengthen our relationship and look forward to telling more great stories with Ryan and his team.”
Coogler is currently working on Black Panther 2, his follow-up to his game-changing 2018 juggernaut film that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture (to name just one of its noms). Black Panther, of course, starred the late, great Chadwick Boseman, and how Coogler and his creative team handle Boseman’s passing will be one of the many challenges of the sequel. Black Panther 2 currently has a July 8, 2022 release date, and is aiming to start production this July.
Like WandaVision and the many other Marvel series that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has set for Disney+, Coogler’s Wakanda series will tie in directly to the larger MCU.
“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,” Coogler said in a statement. “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.”
As WandaVision blazes towards its finale, more Marvel series are poised to bow on Disney+ soon. Falcon and the Winter Soldier is due in March, while Loki is due in May. It’s a no-brainer for Disney to deploy one of Marvel’s most beloved properties via the prodigiously talented Coogler to further expand the MCU on the small screen.
For more on Disney and Disney+, check out these stories:
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Featured image: L to R: Danai Gurira (Okoye) on set with Director Ryan Coogler. Photo: Matt Kennedy. ©Marvel Studios 2018
