Black Panther writer/director Ryan Coogler is set to develop a Wakanda spinoff series for Disney+.
Deadline reports that Coogler has signed a five-year overall exclusive television deal with Disney, which will see the filmmaker's Proximity Media develop several new series for the studio, the first of which will be a "drama based in the Kingdom of Wakanda."
The deal will allow Proximity to develop series for Disney's other outlets, and will reportedly see Coogler "tackle other Marvel Cinematic Universe shows."
“Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation,” said Bob Iger, Executive Chairman, The Walt Disney Company. “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.”
“It’s an honor to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company," added Coogler. "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,” stated Ryan Coogler on behalf of Proximity Media.”
We don't really have much more to go on, but Wakanda has a rich comic book history with plenty of stories to mine from.
Coogler is currently working on a direct sequel to Black Panther, which is also expected to explore the characters and subcultures of Wakanda in more detail. Whether any of the principal cast members reprise their roles for this series remains to be seen. We do know that T'Challa will not be recast in the wake of Chadwick Boseman's death.