Marvel Studios has officially confirmed that Ryan Coogler will direct the Black Panther solo film. It will be the young director’s follow-up to the acclaimed Creed.
The news isn’t completely surprising. Early last month, the site Birth.Movies.Death reported that Coogler was in talks. Today, Marvel announced that Coogler was officially hired.
“We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family,” producer Kevin Feige said in a statement. “The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct Black Panther. Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know we’ve found the perfect director to bring T’Challa’s story to life.”
Coogler, 29, shot to fame with his debut feature Fruitvale Station, which also turned Michael B. Jordan into a star. Jordan and Coogler re-teamed for Creed, a reboot of the Rocky franchise. Sylvester Stallone won a Golden Globe on Sunday for playing Rocky Balboa in the film.
Chadwick Boseman (42, Get On Up) will star as Black Panther. The actor makes his debut as the character in Captain America: Civil War.
It’s not clear if the Black Panther gig will keep Coogler from making Creed 2. MGM is thinking that Creed 2 should be in theaters by November 2017, but Marvel has Black Panther scheduled for Feb. 16, 2018. Obviously, both of these dates are far into the future, but it would be really hard for Coogler to do both. One of the dates will likely have to be moved if he really wants both projects.