Ironheart series finds directors and Ryan Coogler joins as executive producer

Marvel Studios is prepping its next Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series for Disney+, and one of their hottest big-screen directors has joined the team. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has signed on to executive produce the upcoming Ironheart series. The production has also tapped Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes to direct the series.

Ironheart will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, “a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.“ As Throne will be making her first appearance as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it’s no surprise that Ryan Coogler will have a part to play in Ironheart. Riri Williams was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato back in 2016 and introduced as a 15-year-old MIT student who managed to reverse engineer Iron Man’s armor to create her own and caught the attention of Tony Stark himself. Sam Bailey co-created Brown Girls and served as a producer and director of Netflix’s Dear White People. Angela Barnes has helmed episodes of Mythic Quest, One Day at a Time, Blindspotting, and Atlanta. Bailey will direct the first three episodes, while Barnes will tackle the remaining three. In addition to Dominique Thorne, Ironheart will also star Lyric Ross (This is Us) as Riri Williams’ best friend and Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) as a mystery character rumoured to be the villain.

Production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever recently wrapped up, but it certainly wasn’t smooth sailing for the Marvel sequel. In addition to the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, the production experienced several delays due to COVID-19 and had to shut down due to an injury sustained by Letitia Wright (Shuri) for several months. Not much is officially known about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the film will hit theaters on November 11, 2022.