From Wakanda to Netflix: Ryan Coogler's Exit From His Disney TV Deal Has Hollywood Buzzing

Ryan Coogler's Proximity Media — the company behind Marvel Studios' Ironheart — has signed an overall television deal with Netflix after his five-year Disney TV pact came to an end. The Sinners filmmaker leaves Disney projects like the Hulu X-Files reboot and a Southern Bastards series behind as he sets up shop at a rival streamer.

From Wakanda to Netflix: Ryan Coogler's Exit From His Disney TV Deal Has Hollywood Buzzing

Ryan Coogler, the Oscar-winning director behind Marvel's Black Panther films, is taking his production company Proximity Media to Netflix in a new overall television deal — a move that lands just as his five-year TV pact with Disney comes to a close. The trade outlet Deadline reports the agreement makes the streamer Proximity's new home for developing series, and the timing has set Disney fan circles and Hollywood watchers alike talking.

Key Details

The Buzz

Talent moves rarely cause this much chatter, but Coogler is no ordinary creator. He helped build a corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his Proximity banner produced one of Disney+'s recent Marvel series. Seeing a filmmaker that Bob Iger once called a "singular storyteller" set up his television shop at a direct streaming rival is exactly the kind of marquee shake-up that gets Disney fans, Marvel watchers, and the broader entertainment world buzzing.

Ryan Coogler, founder of Proximity Media, with co-founders Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian
Proximity Media founders Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian. Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.

Why Ryan Coogler's Netflix Deal Is a Big Deal

Proximity Media has signed an overall deal with Netflix to develop series, a partnership that reads as a major statement of intent from the streamer. It arrives directly on the heels of Coogler's five-year television deal with Disney coming to an end — the kind of one-door-closes, another-opens move that reshapes where a top creator's next slate of shows will live. Netflix called Proximity's reputation for championing visionary creators a key reason for the union, and the deal stands as one of the most high-profile overall pacts the streamer has landed in some time.

Coogler founded the company with his wife, Zinzi Coogler, and producing partner Sev Ohanian; its television division is run by VP of Television Simone Harris, a team that has already built a notable track record across the Disney ecosystem.

Proximity's Disney and Marvel Roots

For Disney fans, Proximity's catalog is the part of this story that hits closest to home. On the television side, the company is responsible for Marvel Studios' Ironheart, the Riri Williams series that streamed on Disney+. Its slate also includes the National Geographic docuseries Hurricane Katrina: A Race Against Time and the Disney+ animated series Eyes of Wakanda — an extension of the Black Panther world Coogler did so much to define on the big screen.

That Disney relationship traces back to 2021, when Coogler staked Proximity to an exclusive five-year Disney television deal. At the time, Disney CEO Bob Iger hailed Coogler as a "singular storyteller," signaling how much the studio prized the partnership. Its conclusion reads as a real loss for Disney — though the two companies have been a revolving door, effectively trading Ryans after producer Ryan Murphy moved from Netflix back to Disney a couple of years earlier.

The Disney Projects Coogler Leaves Behind

Importantly, this is not a clean break. Coogler remains in business with Disney through two projects he is leaving behind. The first is a reboot of The X-Files, starring Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel, which landed a pilot order at Hulu in February. The second is a live-action adaptation of Southern Bastards, featuring Kevin Bacon, Erin Kellyman and Tim McGraw, which also carries a pilot order. Beyond those, Proximity is developing a series based on Animorphs, the beloved sci-fi book franchise.

"As we continue to expand Proximity's television business, we're thrilled to partner with Netflix, a company that has consistently demonstrated its commitment to distinctive creators and original storytelling."

In a joint statement, Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian framed the Netflix move as a natural step for the company they built to tell "event-driven stories that bring people in close proximity with often overlooked subjects." Netflix's Jinny Howe, Head of US and Canada Scripted Series, returned the praise, crediting Proximity with building "an award-winning television division that continues to push the boundaries of storytelling."

Coming Off the Success of Sinners

The deal arrives at a high point in Coogler's career. On the film side, he is coming off Sinners, the period horror feature starring frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan. The movie became the highest-grossing original feature of 2025 and earned a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, winning four — including Best Actor for Jordan and Best Original Screenplay for Coogler himself. That momentum makes his television free agency one of the most closely watched creative moves of the year, and it explains why Netflix moved to lock him in.

Why Fans Are Buzzing

For Disney and Marvel fans, this is more than an industry transaction — it signals where a defining voice of the modern Marvel era is headed next. Coogler shaped Wakanda on screen, brought Riri Williams to Disney+, and earned Iger's "singular storyteller" stamp; watching him plant his television flag at Netflix underscores how competitive the streaming creator market has become. The good news for Disney loyalists is that his fingerprints will remain on the studio's slate for a while yet, with the X-Files reboot and Southern Bastards still moving forward. But the headline is unmistakable: the next wave of Proximity Media series is coming to Netflix, and where this storyteller goes, audiences tend to follow.