COOGLER TO DIRECT WAKANDA SERIES ON DISNEY+

Ryan Coogler, director of the 2018 Disney blockbuster Black Panther, has signed a five-year deal to create TV shows for the company. One new series for streaming service Disney+ will be set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, featured in Black Panther. Coogler, pictured, 34, rose to prominence with the 2013 independent film Fruitvale Station and directed Creed in 2015. Black Panther broke ground for superhero films by featuring a nearly all-Black cast. “Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation,” said Bob Iger, Disney's executive chairman. Coogler will direct the Black Panther sequel beginning in Atlanta in July. Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett are all expected to reprise their roles.