ryan coogler is a handsome bastard

We all saw this comin’, but Marvel made it for real — Ryan Coogler will be directing Black Panther.

This is great news for Marvel fans and fans of good filmmakers becoming part of the blockbuster factory, but this does put a pretty big damper on the eventual sequel for Creed. That movie is aiming for a November 2017 release date and that means Coogler can’t possibly contribute as much as he did with Creed. There’s the slimmest of chances he might be able to participate on the script at some level (at the very least a story credit), but so much of Creed worked because of Coogler’s involvement. Passing it off doesn’t doom the movie, but it does make its potential quality a lot more uncertain.

This is something of a running trend with Stallone: never let success get in the way of hubris. I can’t see a more fitting end to Rocky’s story than where we left him at the end of Creed, but that won’t stop Stallone from possibly fouling the nest. My only reason for such trepidation is because of how unexpectedly excellent — not just good or great but excellent — Creed was. A sequel, especially a fast-tracked one, has little chance of capturing that same magic.

But, if Black Panther is your jam, this news should be sending you over the moon. I’m certainly thrilled by it and Coogler’s deservedly meteoric rise. I can’t wait to see what he does with such an important and badass character like T’Challa.

Too bad Adonis is probably going to suffer for it.


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