Black Panther broke a few box office records, became a massive worldwide hit, and generated a little Oscar buzz along the way — pretty much guaranteeing a sequel and making Ryan Coogler’s return to the director’s chair seem fairly likely. That likelihood just became a certainty, as Coogler has reportedly signed on to write and direct Black Panther 2 for Marvel.

As THR reports, it was never really a question of if Ryan Coogler would come back for Black Panther 2 — it was more a question of when. Per the latest, Marvel “wanted to keep the creative team as intact as possible,” and it seems they were (unsurprisingly) more than happy to wait until everyone was on the same page.

Marvel has yet to formally announce any plans beyond Phase 3, which concludes next year with Captain Marvel and Avengers 4. There’s also Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is/was presumably intended to be a part of Phase 4, and is still without a director following the firing of James Gunn.

Coogler is reportedly aiming to begin writing the script for Black Panther 2 in 2019, with the goal of starting production sometime late next year or early in 2020. That would put the sequel in theaters in late 2020 or early 2121. Although unconfirmed, several key actors are expected to return, including Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, and Letitia Wright — the latter of whom is said to be the focus of an upcoming series slated for Disney’s new streaming service.

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