Phase 5 of Marvel Studios MCU has officially kicked off with the arrival of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in theaters. The Multiverse Saga is in full swing and Marvel Studios, like the powerhouse they are, isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Daredevil: Born Again both filming, and numerous other productions in different stages of development, it’s safe to say that a ton of Marvel Studios content is on its way. Today we have some interesting news to share from our sources about the Wakanda series and the working title paired with Maglev Train Productions.
Maglev Train Productions finally paired with a working title
In early 2021, news broke that Marvel Studios had made a 5-year deal with Ryan Coogler, the director of the first two Black Panther films. Part of that deal was a rumored Wakanda television series, spilling out from the events of Wakanda Forever. News since then about the Wakanda Disney+ series has been scarce, but it’s not super shocking seeing that the Black Panther-led sequel only came out in November of this last year.
Reports came out back in the summer of 2021 that Marvel Studios had registered a new production company, which seemed connected to the world of Wakanda. Maglev Train Productions, is a direct reference to the train system used within and below Wakanda. The magnetic levitation system is front and center in the first Black Panther film, serving as the backdrop for the fight between T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). The name of this production company seemed to signal that the Wakanda series was in active development.
We’ve since learned from our sources that the working title associated with Maglev Train Productions is Golden City. Golden City is another reference to the world of Black Panther, seemingly confirming that this project is the Wakanda series said to be in development. Birnin Zana, the capital city of Wakanda is referred to as The Golden City. So with this shiny working title, does it give us any hints as to what the series is going to focus on?
[Warning: Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever discussed below!]
What could the story of this Golden City Wakana series be about?
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever left a lot of dangling plot threads for which this series could pick up. The biggest one is that a war is coming over Vibranium. As shown early in Wakanda Forever, the global powers are angry over Wakanda’s unwillingness to share their access to Vibranum.
As Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) explains, those in power across the world cannot be trusted with Vibranium. However, that doesn’t seem to deter other nations, as we saw scientists attempting to find Vibranium in the ocean a bit later in the film. So it seems that now Queen Ramonda is gone and Wakanda is picking up the pieces once again, that some of these nations will be looking to take advantage of the chaos.
This lines up with some rumors that Thunderbolts would focus on the team entering into Wakanda under the leadership of Valentina Allegra De Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Her intent seems malicious, wanting the precious metal for the United States. If this rumor is true, the Wakanda series could focus on the ramifications and all-out war between the two nations, as Wakanda works to protect the world.
Another theory is that with the working title being a reference to the capital city of Wakanda specifically, the series could focus on the internal changes within the government/monarchy within the African country. At the end of Wakanda Forever, while Shuri (Letitia Wright) has taken up the mantle of Black Panther, it did not appear that she wanted to rule over Wakanda. Instead, viewers were left on a cliffhanger of M’Baku (Winston Duke) challenging for the monarchy in ritual combat. An event that Shuri was absent for.
It’s unclear what that means for the monarchy, does the role just go to M’Baku if Shuri didn’t defend it? So, this could be a series focusing on the changes to the monarchy and government, as well as a deeper exploration of those living in the Capital as they work to rebuild after the Talokan people attacked it. This would be a change of pace from some of the other Marvel Studios projects but has the potential to be one of the more interesting chapters in the MCU.
Along those lines, our Editor-In-Chief Lizzie Hill wants me to point out an interesting bit of information that was given to her way back when Wakanda Forever started filming and she was told about T’Challa’s son being in the movie. According to her trusted source, at that time there were plans for T’Challa and Nakia’s son to appear as the focus in either a series or a future film. Specifically, his story would involve him having to overthrow a dictator of Wakanda. And that dictator she was told about at that time was… You probably guessed it: M’Baku.
Judging by the age of little Prince T’Challa (Divine Love Konadu-Sun ) in Wakanda Forever, it seems like a story like that must be quite a long way off. So that’s probably not the story for this series if it’s to be filmed any time soon. It’s also possible that these old plans have changed or completely been thrown out the window by now, but only time will tell on that. Still, it would be an interesting premise for either a Wakanda series or another film to have T’Challa’s son have to challenge M’Baku at some point.
There is another possibility, with a double meaning for Golden City. Could a better look and exploration of Talokan and its underwater civilization be wrapped up in the Disney+ series? The bit we saw of Talokan was a vibrant city of gold, inspired by Aztec and Mayan structures. It would be interesting to see more of the underwater city and its people, as the surface was barely scratched in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While still so much is unknown about the next outing from Wakanda and its people, it’s exciting to have one more piece of the puzzle. What are your thoughts on Golden City for the working title? What would you like to see in a Wakanda series? Let us know on Twitter or in the Cosmic Circus Discord. And if you haven’t already, check out our recent exclusive from Editor-in-Chief Lizzie Hill about Blade’s cinematographer!
Exclusive: Matthew Libatique is Cinematographer for Blade
