Black Panther Ryan Coogler banner

Since the film was officially announced, a number of names have floated around as possible directors for ‘Black Panther’. Among the rumored names were ‘Selma’ auteur Ava DuVernay and ‘Straight Outta Compton’ helmer F. Gary Gray, but ‘Creed’ and ‘Fruitvale Station’ filmmaker Ryan Coogler seemed to be the frontrunner for the position before the new year. Now, we have official word from Marvel Studios regarding who exactly will direct Chadwick Boseman in the King of Wakanda’s first solo feature film.

After T’Challa makes his debut under Joe and Anthony Russo in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ later this year, the iconic hero will go on to star in another adventure the Marvel Cinematic Universe under the direction of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Coogler. In a statement to Marvel.com, studio head and producer Kevin Feige expressed his excitement to have the filmmaker on board for the upcoming Phase Three project:

“We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family. 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.” 

While this is certainly good news for the House of Ideas and True Believers everywhere, ‘Black Panther’ will likely keep Coogler from returning to the world of Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa. The sequel to ‘Creed’ is currently eyeing a release date in November 2017, but with the Marvel movie scheduled for February 2018, there likely won’t be enough time for the director to work on both simultaneously. Of course, Warner Bros. and MGM could decide to wait for the director to become available since he played such a big part in the film’s success, but time will tell how the situation will play out. 

What do you think about Ryan Coogler directing ‘Black Panther’ for Marvel Studios? Do you think that he’ll be a good choice to handle the King of Wakanda? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.