The search for a Black Panther director continues. Selma’s Ava DuVernay passed on the project in the summer, and Marvel’s choice of F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) was thwarted when Gray accepted the role as director of Furious 8. Now, there’s talk from Heroic Hollywood that Marvel is pursuing Creed director Ryan Coogler to helm the project.
Coogler first picked up some profile from Fruitvale Station, which debuted a Sundance a few years ago (Matt reviewed it for us at the time and appears to have liked it). Creed is also drawing a lot of attention to Coogler, and HH reports that he’s willing to do a big commercial piece like a superhero movie, so it could be a good fit.
So far, there’s no confirmation of how far talks have progressed, or if any offers have been made, so take this all with a grain of salt. But what do you guys think of the potential choice — is Coogler the person to bring Black Panther to life? So far, it seems like Joe Robert Cole (Amber Lake) has been set as the screenwriter, so Marvel may be at that point where they’re finally solidifying their crew and the movie’s production timeline. And that means they really need to hone in on a director.
Black Panther is set for release February 16th, 2018, but we’ll get our first look at the character in Captain America: Civil War.
Check out all of our recent Black Panther coverage below:
- Marvel Shifts ‘Black Panther’, ‘Captain Marvel’ Release Dates for Phase 3
- Ta-Nehisi Coates to Write Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ Comic
- First Look at Black Panther on the Set of ‘Captain America: Civil War’
- Ava DuVernay Explains Why She Passed on 'Black Panther'
