Though it was pretty much assumed he would be back given the enormous success and cultural credibility of Black Panther, the film's co-writer and director, Ryan Coogler has taken his time making a deal to work on the sequel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ink has been spilled and Coogler's involvement is now official.
We can all breathe a sigh of relief that the man who was a big part of why the first film worked will be back to guide the sequel, though now the question becomes when we might actually see the thing. According to the trade mag's report, Coogler is aiming to write the script next year, with production potentially picking up in late 2019 or early 2020, which would point to a 2021 release.
Of course, given that he's yet to write the thing, no one outside of Coogler (and, assuming he returns, co-writer Joe Robert Cole) or Marvel knows what will happen, and how much it might deal with the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Given the long time between films, we can't imagine a scenario where Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa is still a pile of dust and Letitia Wright's Shuri is on the throne instead. Actually, that doesn't sound half bad...
Coogler's been keeping himself busy in the meantime, executive producing Creed II (out 30 November) and developing drama Wrong Answer with regular muse Michael B. Jordan. Oh, and he's also a producer on Space Jam 2...
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