After what has seemed like ages of speculation and will-he-won’t-he back and forth, it has finally been confirmed that Ryan Coogler – previously responsible for helming Fruitvale Station and Creed – will direct Marvel’s Black Panther movie.
Having previously been reported that Coogler was the first choice for the role, speculation initially seemed to have died down – although in fairness to Coogler, the fact that he was probably on promotional duties for Creed may have factored in here. But now his name has officially been pulled out of the hat, we can officially start looking forward to seeing what he does.
Speaking in a press statement, producer Kevin Feige was clearly delighted to have finally got his man. “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.”
Indeed, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about the prospect of the Black Panther movie now Coogler’s involvement has been confirmed. Fruitvale Station and Creed are both emotive and very human stories, and it’ll be nice to see the director take his approach into the Marvel universe. Now, we’ve just got to hope that he lasts the distance, and doesn’t pull a Patty Jenkins. Or an Edgar Wright…
Chadwick Boseman has already been confirmed in the lead role of T’Challa, with Andy Serkis heavily rumoured to be reprising his role as Ulysses Klaue from Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and Joe Robert Cole (Amber Lake) on writing duties.
Black Panther will be released in cinemas on 9 February 2016. You can find out more about the character and the comics that inspired him by picking up the latest edition of 100 All-Time Greatest Comics.
