Marvel's Ironheart Series Finds Directors, Black Panther's Ryan Coogler Will Executive Produce
Kevin Feige's efforts to tell the stories of a whole new generation of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are coming further into focus.
Today, THR revealed that the upcoming Disney+ series "Ironheart" has found two new directors and one major familiar face as an executive producer. First, let's introduce ourselves to the newcomers. According to the report, Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes have been hired as directors on the new series that's centered on Riri Williams, a genius-level Black teenager who ends up becoming affiliated with the much more well-known hero Iron Man in the comics, thanks to building her own unique take on the armored suit. With Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark no longer part of the picture in the franchise after his grand sacrifice at the end of "Avengers: Endgame," Marvel has set their sights on a new Iron Man-related character, likely to help carry the torch and bring some much-needed representation to the ongoing universe.
Bailey is known for co-creating the 2015 series "You're So Talented" and the 2017 "Brown Girls" web series, and also directing a handful of episodes of "Grown-ish" and "Dear White People." Barnes, meanwhile, has most recently directed episodes of "Mythic Quest" and the "Blindspotting" television series, having also served as a second unit director on several episodes in the first season of "Atlanta," with THR noting that she's also set to receive credits on the upcoming fourth season of the hit FX show. The directing duties will be split evenly between the two, with Bailey directing the first three episodes of "Ironheart" while Barnes handles the final three.
In addition to the directing news, we also know that Ryan Coogler, the acclaimed director of "Fruitvale Station," "Creed," and "Black Panther," will be making his return to the MCU in a behind-the-scenes capacity. The big-name talent will executive produce "Ironheart" along with usual Marvel veterans Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, and Zoie Nagelhout.
What we know about Ironheart so far
With Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes on board "Ironheart" as the show's directors, "Ironheart" continues to fill out its talent on both sides of the camera. We've already known that Dominique Thorne has been cast as Riri Williams herself, the character who debuted in a Brian Michael Bendis comic in 2016. We previously reported on the castings of "In the Heights" star Anthony Ramos and "This Is Us" staple Lyric Ross, the former in an unknown role and the latter as Riri's best friend, presumably a character by the name of Natalie Washington. Riri will actually make her official MCU debut ahead of her own series, with Feige having previously announced her imminent arrival in the "Black Panther" sequel, "Wakanda Forever."
The Ryan Coogler news doesn't come entirely as a surprise, with prior reports suggesting that he would be involved with "Ironheart" in some capacity. However, it's notable that this won't even be the talented director's first experience with television for Marvel. We previously reported on the news that Coogler would be involved in creating his own Wakanda-set streaming series, though we've heard very little about the project since then. It's likely that his executive producing role on the "Ironheart" series is part of the terms of that overall deal he signed with Disney. In any case, this infusion of Black talent is sure to please fans of the comic book character who are anxiously awaiting her live-action debut.
"Ironheart" does not yet have an official release date, but it will be exclusively available to stream on Disney+.