Ryan Coogler Officially Set To Write And Direct Black Panther Sequel

Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Ryan Coogler Is Back On The Bill For Black Panther’s Upcoming Sequel

Ryan Coogler is going back to Wakanda–which is only right since he had such a huge hand in creating it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmaker behind Marvel’s landmark Black Panther film has quietly closed a deal to both write and direct the sequel.

While the move for a sequel was always expected following the film’s insane success, the timing was always unclear. But with this new deal for Coogler, it seems like the studio is moving forward pretty quickly.

Black Panther was a huge success both commercially and critically. The film, which starred Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and more, grossed $700 million domestically and more than $1.3 billion worldwide, and is also considered a contender for Oscar consideration. The movie became a defining cultural moment and it quickly became very obvious that another installment for the movie was imminent.

In the weeks directly following the film’s February release, both Marvel and Coogler’s camp were hounded about when a deal for the sequel would be put into motion. Despite outside pressure from pretty much everyone to hurry with the film’s sequel, Coogler’s camp shook off the peer pressure and took its time in making a deal, which, according to current reports, occurred under the radar some time ago.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say that the plan at this stage is for Coogler to write the script next year with the hopes of starting production in either late 2019 or early 2020. But as for Marvel and their parent company Disney, however, they have not made any official announcements about Marvel’s slate of upcoming movies beyond the release of the next Avengers pic in May 2019 and a Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel in July — so plans for Black Panther could very well shift before then.

The follow-up to Black Panther isn’t the only project Coogler has on his plate right now. The Oakland native is developing the drama Wrong Answer with his frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan and is also executive producing LeBron James’ Space Jam sequel, along with the upcoming Creed 2.