2015 has been an excellent year for Ryan Coogler as he directed the seventh Rocky movie, "Creed," which received positive response from both the fans and the critics. As the 29-year-old director has joined Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems the upcoming years are also going to be in his favour.
Coogler is known for his unique direction style that won him a Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for US dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival for his movie "Fruitvale Station".
Ryan Coogler has been rumoured for months to be a top contender for directing "Black Panther" among other directors like Ava DuVernay and F Gary Gray. However, it seems that Coogler finally got the film.
Marvel Studios reported a month ago that Coogler was in negotiations to direct "Black Panther." It was later confirmed by Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige in an interview published by Empire magazine in its February issue.
"This one is important. 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," Feige stated.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Coogler talked about importance of a black person directing "Black Panther" and female directors for the superhero movies featuring female protagonists.
"So I think that there is a potential for a greater truth when a filmmaker comes from a particular culture that they're dealing with. That's not to say that a filmmaker can't work outside his or her cultural space," Coogler said.
He added, "But I do believe that the opportunity for the film to have more nuances will come when you looking at filmmakers that bring a little bit of that from their personal experience."
Marvel's recent movies and TV series have been experimenting with several cultural and gender perspectives. Whether it is Daisy from "Agents of SHIELD," Peggy Carter from "Agent Carter" or "Luke Cage" from the TV series of same name, Marvel is definitely trying to explore the options that were not much emphasised before.
With Coogler's recent achievements, "Black Panther" will undoubtedly add to the already popular Marvel Cinematic Universe movies like "Iron Man," "Thor," and "Captain America".
Before appearing in his own movie in 2018, the character of T'Challa aka Black Panther (portrayed by Chadwick Boseman) will make his debut in this year's "Captain America: Civil War".
