Wakanda Series in the Works as ‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Inks 5-Year Exclusive TV Deal With Disney

The 'Black Panther' director is kicking off his exclusive overall deal by developing a television drama based in Wakanda for Disney's streaming platform.

February 1, 2021

Black Panther director and co-writer Ryan Coogler is taking his empire to the small screen and building a home within the Walt Disney Company.

Coogler’s multimedia banner Proximity Media inked a five-year overall exclusive television deal with Disney, giving his team the green light to develop projects for various divisions throughout the Disney dynasty.

"It’s an honor to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on Black Panther was a dream come true," Coogler said in a press release. "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.”

The first project on Coogler’s list is none other than a drama based in the famed Marvel nation of Wakanda for the Disney+ streaming platform.

“Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation,” said Disney executive chairman Bob Iger. “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.”

Proximity Media’s team includes co-founders Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, and Peter Nicks. The company aims to create “event-driven feature films, television, soundtracks and podcasts that look to bring audiences closer together through stories involving often-overlooked subject matters.”

In the meantime, Coogler is also getting ready to helm the next film in the Black Panther franchise.

“We look forward to learning, growing, and building a relationship with audiences all over the world through the Disney platforms,” Coogler said. “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.”