Disney Plus is declaring "Wakanda Forever" Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is developing a Wakanda TV series based on his epic Marvel films as part of a five-year deal his production company Proximity Media has signed with Disney (announced in a Marvel Studios press release)

The Wakanda series will join Disney Plus' Marvel productions, including the currently available "Wander Vision" and the upcoming "Loki and the Falcon" and "The Winter Soldier" As part of the deal, Proximity Media will also produce television programming for other Disney divisions that own networks such as ABC, FX, Freeform, and streaming service Hulu

Coogler co-wrote and directed 2018's Black Panther, which grossed over $13 billion worldwide and was nominated for seven Academy Awards It was the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture and the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to win an Academy Award The film starred the late Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, aka T'Challa, King of the fictional nation of Wakanda

In a statement, Coogler said, "I am honored to partner with The Walt Disney Company Working with them on 'Black Panther' was a dream come true As an avid consumer of television, I couldn't be happier to launch our television business with Bob Iger, Dana Walden, and all the wonderful studios under the Disney umbrella We look forward to learning, growing, and building relationships with audiences around the world through the Disney platform"

Details about the Wakanda TV series are very thin Marvel's press release states only that it is "a drama set in the Kingdom of Wakanda"

Following Boseman's death, the future of the "Black Panther" franchise is up in the air Coogler is working on "Black Panther 2," but T'Challa's casting will not be changed, so a new lead is likely

But with the rich backdrop set by the first film, there are many other areas to explore for the Wakanda series It could focus on the Dora Milaje, the all-female royal security force, or the Jabali, a reclusive mountain tribe New cast members could be brought in, or familiar faces such as Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Daniel Kaluuya could be brought back