Creed and Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler, and burgeoning directorial superstar, Ryan Coogler, has been confirmed to direct Marvel’s Black Panther.
The rumors of Ryan Coogler and Black Panther have been around for a month or two now, but in the upcoming February edition of Empire magazine, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirms Coogler is on board. “This one is important,” Feige said. “Not only do you get an unbelievable lead character, but you also get all of Wakanda which is a whole new setting and culture to explore.”
It’s a fascinating marriage between Marvel and Ryan Coogler, who has become one of the most sought after filmmakers in Hollywood since he broke out with Fruitvale Station. This year, he’s at least in the Best Director discussion with the job he did on Creed. It’s also a change of pace for the MCU, which has been much more producer driven than visionary filmmaker influenced.
When asked about whether or not it was vital to hire an African-American director, Feige responded with “I think when we have opportunities where you have people of color and minorities, filmmakers, producers, writers, directors making decisions on what stories to be made and actually going to work, then you prove that those works can have financial value.”
Black Panther, who we can first see in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, is slated for a 2018 release date
