Ryan Coogler Is Down to Direct an All-Female Black Panther Spinoff

Black Panther crushed box office records, won over critics and spurred thousands of online think-pieces about the thirst for diversity in superhero cinema. The film gave us many things: shirtless Michael B Jordan, proof that African-American narratives have the power to generate mass profit, and perhaps most importantly, the women of Wakanda. The characters that Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Guira portray on screen aren’t just fierce and beautiful—they are smart and funny. They kick ass, they crack jokes, and with both their brain and brawn, they do what superheroes do best: they save the day.

When Ryan Coogler, the film’s director, was asked at Cannes Film Festival if Black Panther’s women were as important as its men, Variety reports that he didn’t flinch. “I think you could argue they are more important,” he said, going on to detail one of his favourite moments of the film: “There’s a whole section of the film where T’Challa is out of the movie and you’re just following the women. That’s one of my favourite parts of the movie when I watched it, and I didn’t expect that.”

He explained how those scenes subverted his expectations. “That part of the movie you feel like you’re watching something fresh and new,” he said. “That part of it was exciting. We have these actresses who could easily carry their own movie,” he said, as he mentioned Nyong’o, Gurira, and Wright. “Some of them have before. We were so fortunate. I would watch a movie with them!”

Surely, it’s only fair to give these women a film of their own—right? When asked if he’d be interested in brining such a film to life, Coogler replied: “Oh man, that would be amazing if the opportunity came up.” What would an all-female Black Panther film look like? I have one idea: tech wizard Shuri travels the globe, hosting TED Talks and inspiring a generation of young female STEM students?Marvel, the ball’s in your court now.

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