It's more difficult nowadays for superhero movies to stand out from one another given how saturated the genre is, but Black Panther had no problems in that department. T'Challa's standalone movie was a resounding success across the board, earning critical praise, hauling in over $1.3 billion worldwide and generating a lot of cultural conversation. Now it sounds like we can count on Ryan Coogler to return to lead the charge on the sequel.
The news has come in Ryan Coogler has signed a deal with Marvel to write and direct Black Panther 2. According to THR, although this was "expected," as there was never any doubt a sequel would get the green light and Marvel wanted to keep the creative team intact, the timing of this decision wasn't nailed down. Rather than immediately sign on for Black Panther 2 immediately after it was clear Black Panther was successful, Coogler didn't bow to peer pressure and instead took his time making a new deal, which occurred "some time ago."
Now that Ryan Coogler is reportedly on board for Black Panther 2, the plan is for him to start writing the sequel next year, with production then beginning either in late 2019 or early 2020. Working off that time table, we can presumably expect Black Panther 2 to come out in the first half of 2021, either February 12 or May 7, two of the dates Marvel has already set aside that year.
Chadwick Boseman made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War. Two years later, he jumped back into action for Black Panther and enjoyed even greater popularity, making it all but guaranteed that he'd be leading another movie eventually. Of course, we can't talk about Black Panther's future without addressing Avengers: Infinity War.
Like most of the MCU's heroes, T'Challa participated in the battle against Thanos and his minions in Avengers: Infinity War, and unfortunately, he was among the ones who were dusted by the Thanos snap at the end. With Avengers 4 still shrouded in secrecy, we have no idea how or even if all the heroes who faded away will be brought back, but just like how Peter Parker is confirmed to swing back for Spider-Man: Far From Home, we can count on Black Panther eventually returning as well.
Although Marvel has yet to make an official Phase 4 announcement, we can now count Black Panther 2 among the movies expected to be part of the franchise's upcoming slate. Others included Spider-Man: Far From Home, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which recently delayed production following James Gunn's firing), Doctor Strange 2, Black Widow and The Eternals.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest on what's happening with Black Panther 2. In the meantime, check out our Marvel movies guide to learn more about what else the MCU has coming down the pipeline.
