EXCLUSIVE: The Walt Disney Company has extended its relationship with
Black Panther director and co-writer
Ryan Coogler. Disney has made a five-year overall exclusive television deal with Coogler’s Proximity Media, which he runs with principals
Zinzi Coogler,
Sev Ohanian, Ludwig Göransson,
Archie Davis and
Peter Nicks. Coogler, who is working on the
Black Panther feature sequel he will direct this year, will develop new television series for the studio. The first one will delight
Black Panther fans: a drama 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,” said
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.”
Said Coogler: “It’s an honor to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on
Black Panther was a dream come true. 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,” stated Ryan Coogler on behalf of Proximity Media.”
