Despite the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, Disney is moving full steam ahead with its Black Panther plans. Not only is the studio getting rolling on some version of Black Panther 2, but it has now announced a new Disney+ show taking place in the Kingdom of Wakanda. The show will not only expand the world of Black Panther but also be led by the films’ director, Ryan Coogler.
Ryan Coogler, speaking on behalf of his production company Proximity Media, shared the following:
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.
Proximity Media has a rich deal with Disney that brings its content exclusively to the company for the next five years, and this new Wakanda show will fall under that deal. Not all the shows will be connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but clearly they’re kicking off with something they know.
There are no details on the series’s plot, but it is highly unlikely that it will involve a new Black Panther. Disney has already stated it won’t be recasting the role, and its description of the show as involving Wakanda makes it seem more like it will focus on the country itself. That could be really cool; Afrofuturism is a rarely seen genre on television, and the world envisioned in Black Panther begged to be explored more.
While this series probably won’t go into production any time soon, Black Panther 2 is aiming to film this year.
