Franchise filmmaking Forever!
With the firstBlack Pantherfilm from Marvel Studios being such ahuge box officeand critical hit, a sequel was only inevitable. What was less certain, however, was the film’s director and co-writer Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station,Creed) returning. No need to worry anymore, asTHRconfirmed that Coogler will return as writer-director for the Black Panther follow-up.
The deal was slow in the making until recently, with Coogler being said to begin writing the screenplay next year with a production start in either late 2019 or early 2020. A release date from Marvel Studios and Disney is unknown at the moment, but expect Disney to make a push for the first film in their Oscar campaigning, especiallywithout a “popular film category” anymore.
Coogler’s return is exciting for me as a fan of the first film, but I was hoping that the filmmaker would move on to more intimate and personal projects now that he’s gained so much capital in Hollywood. He chose to not take onCreed II, instead having relatively unknown director Steven Caple Jr. take on the task—imagine Coogler passing the torch to another up-and-coming young black filmmaker.
Still, Coogler is also set to work on a drama film calledWrong Answerwith his usual collaborator Michael B. Jordan, and he’ll be anexecutive producer on the newSpace Jammovie, so he won’t be a Marvel guy forever. Look forward to the nextBlack Pantherin the future, where T’Challa will rebuild himself after his last appearance broke him down.
Ryan Coogler Signs on to Write and Direct ‘Black Panther’ Sequel[THR]
