Ryan Coogler has signed on to write and direct Black Panther 2.
The filmmaker will begin working on the script for the new movie, a sequel to the hit superhero film featuring Chadwick Boseman as lead character T'Challa / Black Panther, next year (19), sources close to the project have told The Hollywood Reporter.
It is believed that executives from Marvel Studios and parent company Disney are looking to begin production in late 2019 or early 2020. Producers have not yet commented on the news.
Soon after Black Panther's premiere in January, talk of a sequel with Coogler attached began, however, bosses at Disney have not officially added the film to the list of upcoming Marvel movies, with Captain Marvel, an untitled Avengers film and Spider-Man: Far From Home, among the flicks currently scheduled for release in the coming years.
Boseman is expected to reprise his role, alongside other key castmembers including Lupita Nyong'o and Letitia Wright. The original story followed the character of T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, as he stepped forward to lead his people into a new future by confronting a challenger from his nation's past.
Previously, Coogler explained that he wanted to further explore what being king meant for T'Challa.
"You know, in the comic books, he's very young when (his father) T'Chaka is killed. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's a man, you know? And those are two different things," he told film website Screen Rant in February. "So I'd be really interested to see, you know, what kind of king he is with experience and how that affects his performance in the stories."
Black Panther was widely praised by critics and grossed $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the second-highest grossing movie of the year and a contender for Oscar consideration.
At present, Coogler is working as an executive producer on boxing movie Creed II, a follow-up to 2015's Creed starring Michael B. Jordan, which he wrote and directed.
