‘Black Panther’ spinoff with Danai Gurira coming to Disney+

The series is said to be an "origin story" for the beloved character

May 28, 2021

Blank Panther fans, rejoice! Per recent reports, a spinoff series featuring Danai Gurira‘s character Okeye is in development at Disney Plus.

Marvel and Disney have been kicking their properties into high gear since the launch of the popular streaming service, Disney Plus. From Wandavision to Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Disney has expanded past films to bringing premium content to their Marvel fans at home. Now, it seems their blockbuster hit Black Panther is set to get in on some of that action as well. According to Deadline, Danai Gurira will return as Okeye (general of the Dora Milaje) for an official Black Panther spin-off series at Disney Plus.

26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Red Carpet — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 19: Danai Gurira attends the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. 721313 (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner)

While no official details have been announced, sources tell Deadline that Gurira will return to play the role, which is said to be an origin story for the character. Black Panther characters recently appeared in Falcon and The Winter Soldier for Disney Plus, as Florence Kasumba reappeared as her Black Panther character Ayo. According to reports from earlier this year, this won’t be the only trip to Wakanda Disney Plus will be making in the near future.

Deadline reported in February 2021 that Black Panther writer and director Ryan Coogler signed a 5 year television deal with Disney Television. Under the deal, it was reported that Coogler will develop “a drama based in the Kingdom of Wakanda for Disney+.” It is still unknown whether or not Gurira will also appear in this series.

50th NAACP Image Awards - Press Room — HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 30: (L-R) Vin Diesel poses with Michael B. Jordan, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Sterling K. Brown, Letitia Wright, and Ryan Coogler — winner of Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Film) — winners of Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture for ‘Black Panther’, at the 50th NAACP Image Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 30, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Liliane Lathan/Getty Images for NAACP)

At the time of the deal, Coogler spoke to his “honor” signing the exclusive deal. He shared, “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.”

As theGrio has previously reported, Black Panther 2 is currently in production. Entitled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coogler shared recently that doing the film without the late Chadwick Boseman is “the hardest thing” he’s had to do in his life. He shared in an interview, “I’m still currently going through it. One thing that I’ve learned in my short or long time on this Earth is that it’s very difficult to have perspective on something while you’re going through it. This is one of the more profound things that I’ve gone through in my life, having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person who is like the glue who held it together.”

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