James R | On 03, Feb 2021

A new TV series based in the Kingdom of Wakanda is in the works at Disney+ from Ryan Coogler.

Coogler, who wrote and directed Black Panther, is currently at work on the sequel. Now, he’s also turning his eye to TV, with a five-year overall deal signed with Disney. The deal is with the writer-director-producer’s company, Proximity Media.

Ryan and Zinzi Coogler founded Proximity with Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis and Peter Nicks with a mission to create event-driven feature films, TV, soundtracks and podcasts that look to bring audiences closer together through stories involving often-overlooked subject matters. All principals of the company are part of the overall agreement.

One of their first projects will be a show expanding the world of Wakanda on the small screen for Disney’s subscription platform, at a time when Disney-owned Marvel is focused on building out its screen universe with spin-off and connecting shows – the first of which, WandaVision, launched earlier this month.

“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 honour to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on Black Panther was a dream come true,” stated Coogler on behalf of Proximity Media. “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.”

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