Ryan Coogler Signs 5yr Deal Which Includes A Wakanda Series For Disney+
Ryan Coogler, the man behind box-office smash hit ‘Black Panther’, has signed a five-year deal with Disney, which will see him develop new series for the mouse house, including a Disney+ drama set in Wakanda it has been announced.
Disney has signed an overall exclusive television deal with writer-director-producer Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, with principals Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis and Peter Nicks. Coogler, who co-wrote and directed Marvel Studios’ acclaimed ‘Black Panther’ and is currently at work on the sequel, will develop new television series, which includes one based in the Kingdom of Wakanda for Disney+. The deal also enables Proximity to develop television for other divisions of the Company.
“Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation,” commented 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.”
As with most Disney+ projects at an early stage like this, there is no hint of exactly what a Wakanda tv series would entail. Whether it would focus on the royal family of Wakanda, or some other aspect of the country remains to be seen. As the world’s source of Vibranium, and most technologically advanced nation on the planet in the MCU, it could be really interesting to focus on some other aspects of life there, which are difficult to explore during the limited timeframe of a big-budget action movie.
“It’s an honour to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on Black Panther was a dream come true,” adds Coogler. “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.”
It’s also interesting to note what may come from this deal outside of the MCU. Proximity describes it’s mission as “to create event-driven feature films, television, soundtracks and podcasts that look to bring audiences closer together through stories involving often-overlooked subject matters.” and is “committed to developing a wide variety of projects across all budget levels.” This deal with Disney would not only give them the opportunity to develop film and tv projects withing the MCU, but also dive into some interesting and mature-themed subject matter, as Ryan did with his superb breakout movie ‘Fruitvale Station’, which could then be released onto Hulu, FX or STAR internationally.
The Wakanda tv series is likely to be a while away yet, but we’ll let you know when we hear more about that or any of the other projects Coogler and Proximity have in the works.
