Marvel 'Wakanda' Series In The Works For Disney+ As Ryan Coogler Signs New 5-Year Disney TV Deal

Following the tragically early death of Chadwick Boseman at 43 from cancer, I was honestly worried and concerned that “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler might exit the Marvel franchise, heartbroken to have lost his King T’Challa. But not only has Coogler seemingly persevered in making “Black Panther II,” due July 8, 2022, but his commitment to the world of Wakanda and Marvel seems to have not waivered.

Deadline reports that Coogler and his Proximity Media company—which he runs with principals Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, composer Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, and Peter Nicks—has signed a five-year deal with Disney Television and, as part of that deal, is developing a series about Wakanda for Disney+ and Marvel TV.

Not many details are given; it’s a drama series based in the Kingdom of Wakanda for Disney+ and also enables Proximity to develop television for other divisions of The Walt Disney Company. But that could mean many things for the world of Wakanda, focusing on perhaps other characters like Okoye (Danai Gurira), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), perhaps W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), who had seemingly gone awol during the Wakanda battle during “Avengers: Infinity War” with some (but not all) members of the Border Tribe following the events of “Black Panther” one or new tribes and newer characters.

Of course, “Black Panther” the movie itself needs a lead, so any one of these actors might be busy starring in their own movie and may not have time for a series. The speculation now is, Shuri, Black Panther’s younger sister (played by Letitia Wright), may take over the mantle of the character, but nothing is confirmed as of yet. Personally, it would be nice to see Kaluuya, who is almost certainly going to receive an Oscar nomination for his outstanding role in “Judas And the Black Messiah” this year, return to the franchise. Still, a TV role might be too small for him at this point; we shall see.

Some of these projects are already in the works. “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,” Coogler said in a statement. No timeline has been set, but the “Black Panther” sequel is set for next summer, so perhaps the year after, sometime in 2023? Either way, both Disney and Marvel keep signaling that their future lies in streaming and the limited series launch that’s just getting started with “WandaVision” and five Marvel more shows to appear in 2021. [Deadline]