The time to return to Wakanda draws nearer, Marvel fans!
Marvel Studios dropped the first teaser for its upcoming Disney+ series, Eyes of Wakanda, on Tuesday, giving fans a taste of what’s to come in the highly anticipated Ryan Coogler-produced series.
The brief video gives viewers glimpses of the great warriors of the fictional African nation throughout history, warriors that fans will get to know as they follow the show’s hero, a disgraced Dora Milaje warrior tasked with retrieving stolen Vibranium artifacts.
“Wakanda is a kingdom of many secrets,” a voiceover teases as characters weave in and out of scenery in the show’s slick animation.
marvel
As Eyes of Wakanda showrunner Todd Harris previously told Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive interview, the series will combine what he calls “the interconnectivity of Marvel with the interconnectivity of history along with the interconnectivity of the human story.”
Harris described Eyes of Wakanda as “anthology adjacent.” It’s a collection of short stories set at different periods that all tell one continuous narrative. “Same country, two different worlds,” he explained. “As we make our touchstones through time, we get to see that kind of evolution.”
He added that the story “starts off during the end of the Western Bronze Age,” which sparks a “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 animated series already has a star-studded voice cast to impress casual viewers. Cress Williams (Black Lightning) voices a character known as the Lion, while Winnie Harlow (America’s Next Top Model) voices a character named Noni. Other confirmed voice cast includes Patricia Belcher, Larry Herron, Adam Gold, Lynn Whitfield, Jacques Colimon, Jona Xiao, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Gary Anthony Williams, and Zeke Alton.
Harris also teased that Anika Noni Rose, the Princess and the Frog Disney legend, has “such a crucial role in the show.” He said, “She’s one of the ones I want to get a toy made of the most. She came in there like an archangel and just blew the scene away.”
House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint adds to this roster of voice talent, and Harris noted how he brings all the same cool energy that he brought to the Game of Thrones prequel.
“He’s an authoritative character that has so much heart and soul,” the showrunner shared. “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.”
While Eyes of Wakanda will boast some serious action sequences that the Black Panther franchise has become known for, it will also delve into the principles behind the storied history of the fictional country and examine its society.
Harris shared that the series will explore questions such as, “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?”
marvel
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
And it won’t just be Wakandan characters that viewers will meet. The team revealed earlier at various events, including the D23 Expo, that figures like Iron Fist will pop up. EW’s first look also glimpses characters from a variety of backgrounds, including one woman channeling Viking shield maiden garb.
“We’re all in this together and history has proven that,” Harris mused. “We like to think there are silos of people in history, but there’s the Fertile Crescent; the Mediterranean; the intersections between Eurasia, Asia, north Africa, and all the different cultures that all created this mesh. That’s what that imagery is supposed to invoke: It’s not a rare circumstance that we’re all here again together.”
Eyes of Wakanda will premiere this Aug. 27 on Disney+. Watch the teaser above.
