Tag Archives: T’Challa

Ryan Coogler Officially Signs On To Do A ‘Black Panther’ Sequel

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Wakanda Forever

Ryan has signed on to write and direct the ‘Black Panther’ sequel

via THR:

While the move was expected — Marvel wanted to keep the creative team as intact as possible and a sequel was never in any real doubt — the timing was always unclear. 

Black Panther, centering on T’Challa, the king of a fictional African country, was an outsized success both commercially and critically. The pic, which starred Chadwick Boseman as the titular hero, grossed $700 million domestically and more than $1.3 billion worldwide, and is also considered a contender for Oscar consideration. The movie became a defining cultural moment and touchstone, especially for the black community.

In the weeks prior and after the film’s February release, both Marvel and Coogler’s camp were hounded about when a sequel deal would be inked. Typically, a filmmaker is more than willing to quickly sign on for a follow-up, and a studio is eager to snap up a key piece of talent in the lead-up to or right after a successful opening. But Coogler’s camp shook off the peer pressure and took its time in making a deal, which occurred under the radar some time ago.

Sources say the plan at this stage is for Coogler to write the script next year with an eye to start production in either late 2019 or early 2020. Marvel and parent company Disney, however, have not made any official announcements about Marvel’s slate of movies beyond the release of the next Avengers pic in May 2019 and a Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel in July — and plans could shift.

Coogler is developing the drama Wrong Answer with his frequent collaborator and Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan. He also is executive producing LeBron James’ Space Jam sequel and acts in the same capacity on the upcoming Creed 2.

Black Panther’s Sister Shuri Gets Her Own Comic Book Series

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The ‘Black Panther’ franchise is getting a new comic added to the brand and it’s time for T’Challa’s little sister Shuri to be lead.

Marvel Comics will from releasing a new standalone comic book series about Shuri and all her genius in just a few months.

via Bustle:

The brand new series will be available in October 2018 and will focus on Shuri’s journey in the face of a tragic event: Black Panther is lost in a mission in space, leaving Wakandans asking questions about who should lead in his absence. As his little sister, and the next in line for the throne, Shuri is pulled from her happy place (her lab full of impossibly genius, high-tech gadgets) and into a much heftier role. According to the official Marvel synopsis, “Shuri is happiest in a lab, surrounded by gadgets of her own creation. She’d rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them. But a nation without a leader is a vulnerable one — and Shuri may have to choose between Wakanda’s welfare and her own.”

This compelling battle within the self and the impossible question of duty over passion will come to life in the new series thanks to Eisner-nominated artist Leonardo Romero and Afrofuturist author Nnedi Okorafor. Okorafor is an award-winning Nigerian-American writer, known for her work across the sci-fi genre, from young adult fiction to short stories and adult fiction. One of her most acclaimed works, a novel titled Who Fears Death, not only saw multiple award nominations and a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, but it’s also on its way to becoming an HBO series with George R.R. Martin as an executive producer. And, as if there was any doubt about her writing pedigree, Okorafor has already contributed to the Black Panther storyline with her issues of Black Panther: Long Live The King, which followed a storyline penned by acclaimed journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, and her continuing work on the Wakanda Forever series, which follows the Dora Milaje (Wakanda’s badass warrior ladies, for those that need a refresher) as they team up with other heroes from the Marvel Universe. And as she sets to work on the Shuri series, Okorafor is, in a word, thrilled.

“[Shuri is] an African young woman of genius level intelligence who is obsessed with technology and has traveled spiritually so far into the past that she’s seen Wakanda before it was Wakanda. The Ancestors call her Ancient Future. And she’s super ambitious. What do I love about her? Alllll that and more,” Okorafor tells Bustle via email. “She’s a character in the Marvel Universe who really sings to me.