Following the incredible success of 2018’s Black Panther, Wakanda emerged as a key location in the waning days of the Infinity Saga. Writer and director Ryan Coogler filled the hidden nation with interesting characters and created a rich history that demanded further explanation. While a Black Panther sequel was always in the works, Coogler‘s Wakanda demanded further exploration and so, in early 2021, Disney reached a deal with the director’s Proximity Media to develop exclusive content for Disney Plus which included a streaming series centered on the Kingdom of Wakanda. Later that year, it was revealed that Danai Gurira‘s Dora Milaje captain, Okoye, was set to star in a D+ series set in Wakanda. While it was never truly clear if the Okoye-centric series and the Wakanda-set series were one in the same, it is clear that over three years later, fans are still without a live-action Black Panther series. However, a new report suggests that hope may be on the horizon.
In late 2022, Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore confirmed that Coogler‘s Proximity Media was developing multiple Wakanda-based projects saying “there are no shortage of ideas,” when it comes to expanding on the mythology the world of Wakanda, describing it as “expansive” and “full of great characters” and providing opportunities “beyond what happens with this film.” At that time, Moore stated that in addition to a third Black Panther film, “there are more opportunities to go back to Wakanda.” While Moore cautioned that with both Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ironheart on his plate, development on a Wakanda spinoff project had not been a priority for Coogler, it seems those opportunities are starting to be realized.
Because of the amount of time and attention that went into this film, and frankly the Ironheart show, that is probably not as far along as people want it to be, but there are certainly great ideas that we’re still talking to Ryan about. So, we’ll see how far we can get with it.
-Nate Moore on the development of a Wakanda-centric streaming series, November 2022
In late 2023, a canonical animated series, Eyes of Wakanda was announced and set for release in 2024. Now according to trusted insider Daniel RPK, the studio is turning its attention back to developing World of Wakanda, a live-action series set in Wakanda.
No details were provided about World of Wakanda in the report, however, it’s possible that Gurira previously provided some insight into what to expect. In a 2022 interview with Deadline, Gurira described Coogler’s vision for the future of the Dora-turned-Midnight Angel, comparing it to David Carradine‘s Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu.
[Coogler] was saying it’s like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don’t know where Okoye’s going. And she’s sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That’s kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don’t know where that leads to.
-Danai Gurira on the future of Okoye
In an early 2023 interview with Stephen Colbert, Gurira was asked about the potential for an Okoye-centric series and said,” I have been told that I can gently allude to this possibility [of an Okoye-centric series]. So, I am gently alluding. Just gently.” Perhaps the time has finally come for the long-gestating project to take flight. However, with Disney cutting back on the quantity of Marvel Studios’ content on its streaming service, don’t expect to see the series before 2026 at the earliest.
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