Marvel Wants Ryan Coogler To Direct BLACK PANTHER

Who will direct Black Panther? So far we know that Marvel has approached Ava DuVerney and F. Gary Gray about the job, but neither took it. We know that the studio will hire a black filmmaker to usher Chadwick Boseman into his own superhero franchise. But who will that filmmaker be? 

Nobody, including Marvel, knows yet, but Heroic Hollywood is reporting that the Cinematic House of Ideas has a contender: Ryan Coogler. Coogler got a lot of (deserved) attention after his film Fruitvale Station was terrific, and he's written and is directing the upcoming Rocky spin-off Creed (ie, my most anticipated film of the rest of the year). He's hot as hell, he's made a franchise picture and he could be just the right choice for Black Panther. 

The question is whether Black Panther is the right choice for Coogler. I don't know what it'll be like directing at Marvel post-Ike and post-Creative Committee, but any studio job has its limitations and drawbacks. Still, Marvel couldn't be that much worse than Sylvester Stallone, who rightfully feels incredible ownership over the Rocky universe. 

Black Panther does feel like the proper step up for the filmmaker; unlike other indie guys who go from Sundance features to 200 million dollar movies, Coogler took a pit stop in Creed, which has a remarkably tight $35 million budget, while still being a mainstream franchise movie. Going up the next step to Panther shouldn't be as huge a leap. Of course if Creed is a huge hit (and lord I hope it is), will Coogler be too busy in the world of boxing to come to the world of superheroics?

I like Coogler for the job, and I kind of wouldn't mind seeing him shepharding two powerful black heroic franchises into cinemas. What do you think?