Marvel's Danai Gurira Offers Tease of Black Panther Spinoff Series
Black Panther star Danai Gurira continues to tease a possible spinoff featuring her Dora Milaje character Okoye. Gurira played the Dora Milaje leader Okoye in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A few years ago a report came out claiming Marvel Studios was looking to develop a Disney+ series based on the World of Wakanda, headlined by Okoye. There hasn't been much news regarding the Black Panther spinoff since those earlier reports, but that hasn't stopped Gurira from responding to questions. Her most recent comments came on the red carpet of the Oscars.
"I've been told I can speak of it vaguely. So, I will vaguely respond," Danai Gurira told ET on the red carpet of the 95th Academy Awards. "However, I guess the idea behind the story like that, if one were to exist, would be to explore the character in ways that we haven't done yet. But who knows?"
Danai Gurira also addressed these Okoye spinoff rumors during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert back in January. "I have been told that I can gently allude to this possibility," she said at the time. "So, I am gently alluding, just gently."
What Happened to Okoye in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever saw Okoye kicked out of the Dora Milaje by Queen Ramonda, after Namor kidnapped Shuri and Riri Williams. Okoye would later rejoin Wakanda in the fight against Namor and Talocan, adopting the Midnight Angels armor Shuri revealed earlier in the film. If there were an Okoye-led spinoff of Black Panther, it could possibly follow Okoye and Aneka as the Midnight Angels.
Wakanda is also under new leadership, with Shuri taking on the Black Panther mantle from her deceased brother, T'Challa. Plus, Queen Ramonda was also killed by Namor in Wakanda Forever, leaving Shuri presumably as the nation's new leader.
Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors Pay Tribute to Angela Bassett After Oscars Snub
The 95th Academy Awards had their first big upset of the evening on Sunday night when the Oscar for Best Supporting went to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Many expected the Oscar to go to Angela Bassett for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While Curtis' win was by no means not very deserved, it was still a surprise. But Bassett's fellow Marvel co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors paid tribute to Angela Bassett anyway during their own turn on stage presenting the award for Cinematography.
When Jordan and Majors came on stage to present the award for Best Cinematography, Jordan addressed Bassett in the audience with a simple, "Hey Auntie. We love you."