First Look at ‘Black Panther’ MCU Spinoff ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

When Marvel released Black Panther in theaters in 2018, the world was introduced to Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa/ Black Panther and the nation of Wakanda. The fictional country became a place where audiences wanted to know more about it and see it on the small screen as well. In 2021, an overall deal between Disney and Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media was announced, and two years later, in 2023, an animated version of Wakanda was announced to be in development. Later that year, Eyes of Wakanda was revealed as the name of the new MCU series. The animation was created by storyboard artist Todd Harris, who spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming series, giving them a first-look at what’s to come.

According to the interview, Marvel let Harris, who had been a fan of the MCU since a child, go “hog wild.” Eyes of Wakanda focuses on the Hatut Zaraze, Wakandan warriors who carry out dangerous missions around the world to retrieve Vibranium artifacts throughout history. The animated series will premiere on Disney+ in August. Harris, who serves as the showrunner and director, said he likes the idea of everyone’s view of history. “The story starts off during the end of the Western Bronze Age, and that spark sets off this giant spy espionage story that reverberates through time…You get Wakanda-grade James Bond, and sometimes a Jane Bond, with the backdrop of all the awesomeness that is Wakanda.”

The cast who will voice some of the warriors include Crest Williams (Black Lightning) as the Lion, supermodel Winnie Harlow as Noni, Patricia Belcher, Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog), and Lynn Whitfield (The Chi). Without giving too much away, Harris said the goal was to “mirror the actual spirit of the nation of Wakanda by keeping as many secrets as possible.” He also described Eyes of Wakanda as “anthology adjacent.”

We have characters that are very important in the show, but it also examines what kind of person Wakanda makes. A 10,000-year-old society. What kind of fortitude, what kind of lack of temptation to over expand? All these different things to keep things from imploding, all these different things that have been the detriment to a lot of history…how did they avoid that and what kind of person does that make? What kind of rock-solid principles keeps them on the straight and narrow that balance that’s so hard for everyone alive?

The Actor Harris Calls “An Authoritative Character” in ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

Every character has an important role in the upcoming animation, but there’s one that Todd Harris highlighted as “an authoritative” character in the series. House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint is another actor whose voice will be heard in the series, and according to Entertainment Weekly, he’s expected to bring the same cool persona that he brought to the Game of Thrones prequel.

He’s an authoritative character that has so much heart and soul. He plays a jaded agent who is jaded for all the right reasons. He believes in his job, he’s here for his family, and he’s so devoted to the cause, but sometimes principles outweigh duty. [Toussaint’s] so good at threading that needle between that hard and soft.

Source: Entertainment Weekly