Will There Be A Female ‘Black Panther’ Spinoff?

Ryan Coogler definitely solidified his spot in Hollywood after directing Black Panther, the Marvel blockbuster that smashed records earlier this year and first comic book movie led by an predominately black cast. But apparently he’s not done with the franchise yet — at least, not if he gets a say in it.

During a two-hour talk at the Cannes Film Festival, Coogler entertained the idea of an all-female Black Panther spinoff after one critic asked if the women in the film were as important as the men. Coogler explained that his favorite part of Black Panther was actually when the women took the spotlight.

“There’s a whole section of the film where T’Challa is out of the movie and you’re just following the women,” Coogler explained, referring to the part of the film when T’Challa is thought to be dead. “That’s one of my favorite parts of the movie when I watched it, and I didn’t expect that.”

The actresses he’s referring to, of course, are Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright (aka Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri). He went on to explain how their scenes subverted his expectations: “That part of the movie you feel like you’re watching something fresh and new. That part of it was exciting. We have these actresses who could easily carry their own movie,”

While Coogler, of course, has no idea whether or not Marvel is interested in a female Black Panther spinoff, he said he’s definitely not against the idea in any way.

“That would be amazing if the opportunity came up,” he said. “They did it in the comic-book version.”

He has a point. If you thought Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister, was cool in the movie, she’s even more of a badass in the comics, taking over as Black Panther more than once and proving to be an equal to her brother. While that might not be as easy to pull off in a film (you know, considering Killmonger destroyed all the herbs that helped heightened the Black Panther’s powers), we could still see her and the other women proving that even without superhuman abilities, they still have the capability to save Wakanda and the world.

Not that my opinion matters, but I’d definitely watch the crap out of that movie. If there’s a petition, sign me up.