Marvel Producer Reveals Why Ryan Coogler Got Picked for ‘Black Panther’

Finding a the right director for a film is always hard, and that task is made infinitely more difficult if you’re dealing with a Marvel film. Over the years, fan expectations around the Marvel Cinematic Universe have become massive, and the franchise has to be careful with who they bring on board.

However, producer Nate Moore says his team knew Ryan Coogler was the guy for Black Panther pretty early on.

ComicBook.com had the chance to speak with Moore during a set visit for Black Panther, and it was there the producer said he had a gut feeling about Coogler. “We kind of watched Creed and said, ‘that guy,’” Moore said. “Then we hunted him down and we made him say yes, but it wasn’t hard.”

“I think, to Ryan’s credit, he obviously knew the character and wanted to do the movie,” Moore continued, “but he only wanted to do the movie if he felt like it was going to be something that would have integrity. One that, at the end of the day, he could feel good about as a filmmaker. That’s what we wanted as well.”

Moore went on to acknowledge Marvel Studios has not been the right place for every director. The MCU’s prized continuity can make it difficult for filmmakers to see a unique story through, but Coogler’s vision seemed to mesh with the studio’s executives.

“I think Marvel has a reputation, earned or not, as being a difficult place for filmmakers,” Moore said. “I think once Ryan came in and met us all, I think he felt really comfortable. I think the movie’s going to be fantastic, and I think a lot of that’s because of Ryan.”

Black Panther currently has a ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating of 4.17 out of 5, making it the second most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com Users. Let us know how excited you are for Black Panther by giving the movie your own ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below.

Black Panther opens in theaters on February 16th.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Avengers: Infinity War on May 4th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.