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‘Black Panther’ director Ryan Coogler is developing a Wakanda series for Disney+

Director Ryan Coogler attends a special screening of "Black Panther" in New York in 2018
Director Ryan Coogler attends a screening in 2018 of “Black Panther.” Now he’s working on a series for Disney+
(Evan Agostini /Invision/AP)
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“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler is developing a series for Disney+ set in the world of Wakanda, Walt Disney Co. said Monday.

The series is part of a broader deal for Coogler’s production company Proximity Media to make TV shows for the Burbank-based entertainment giant.

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Disney said in a statement that it had entered into a five-year exclusive television pact with Proximity, which will also let Coogler’s firm develop shows 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,” said Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger in a statement. “We’re thrilled to strengthen our relationship and look forward to telling more great stories with Ryan and his team.”

“Black Panther,” released in February 2018, grossed $1.34 billion at the global box office and became a landmark cultural moment for representation of Black actors and filmmakers. Coogler is working on the sequel to the Marvel Studios blockbuster, forging on without star Chadwick Boseman, who died unexpectedly of cancer last year.

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The Proximity deal comes as Disney is working to ramp up productions for Disney+ following the success of “The Mandalorian,” which helped propel the service to 86.8 million subscribers. Marvel recently premiered oddball superhero sitcom “WandaVision” to positive reviews on the platform, which charges $6.99 a month and $12.99 when bundled with Hulu and ESPN+.

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