Though its king is no longer with us, Wakanda lives on. Word has come that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is developing a dramatic series set in Marvel’s fictional African country for Disney+.
Deadline reports that the show is part of a newly signed five-year exclusive deal between Coogler’s Proximity Media and Disney. While the deal will find Proximity developing content beyond the Disney+ streaming service, the Wakanda project is up first. It also may not be the only Marvel Cinematic Universe series the production company will have a hand in, as Coogler said in a statement that “we will be working closely with [Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios] on select MCU shows for Disney+. We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t wait to share.”
In addition to working on (what we’re going to take an educated guess will be called) Wakanda Forever, Coogler is in the process of bringing Black Panther 2 to theaters. Filming is expected to begin in July, though details on how the film will handle the passing of star Chadwick Boseman aren’t yet clear. What we do know, however, is they won’t be recasting T’Challa/Black Panther, and instead will likely be passing the character’s mantle down to one of the original film’s co-stars, such as Letitia Wright’s fan-favorite Shuri.
While the television side of the multimedia company will be tied up at Disney for the next half-decade, Proximity has its eyes set on projects across the media landscape. Co-founded by Coogler alongside Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, and Peter Nicks, Proximity aims to create features, soundtracks, and podcasts that turn typically overlooked subject matters into major entertainment events. They also intend “to generate a wide variety of projects across all budget levels.”
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The Wakanda series is but the latest series to expand the MCU’s presence on Disney+. WandaVision recently launched to rave reviews, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Ms. Marvel, and What If…? all on the horizon. Hawkeye is currently filming, She-Hulk recently cast Tatiana Maslany in the main role, and Moon Knight tapped Oscar Isaac to play the lead opposite Ethan Hawke’s villain. If all that weren’t enough, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn are heading the Secret Invasion event series, and Don Cheadle will lead Armor Wars.
