Ryan Coogler addresses rumors about him directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s X-Men reboot by confirming the film already has a helmsman. Speaking with Metro Entertainment to promote the new MCU TV show Ironheart (which Coogler executive produced), the filmmaker was asked if he was aware of the speculation suggesting X-Men could be his next MCU film. Coogler was quick to point out that Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is in line to call the shots on X-Men, which lines up with previous reports about that film.
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“No, no, no. Jake is directing that,” Coogler said. When asked if he was referring to Schrier, Coogler responded with, “Yeah.”
Word of Schreier directing X-Men first broke shortly after Thunderbolts* opened to positive reviews. At that time, it was said Schreier is a big fan of the X-Men comics and was looking forward to pitching his vision for a movie to Marvel Studios. Though there hasn’t been an official announcement about the MCU’s X-Men film, the latest intel points to Schreier directing. He was mentioned at the X-Men director in a recent report detailing Marvel’s plans for 2028.
Prior to turning to Schreier, Marvel reportedly approached Coogler about directing X-Men. However, Coogler is going to be busy working on Black Panther 3 for the next while. Now that his original critically acclaimed hit Sinners is out, Coogler can turn his attention to his next Wakandan adventure, which currently does not have a release date.
As intriguing as a Coogler-directed X-Men film would be, it’s arguably for the best he’s staying involved with the Black Panther series. The first two Black Panther films were very well-received, earning numerous accolades (including a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars). Similar to James Gunn and Guardians of the Galaxy, Coogler has become synonymous with Black Panther, and it would be difficult to envision another director stepping in and taking those reins from him. Coogler’s deft storytelling ability and directorial approach is the perfect fit for the Black Panther films, and it will be exciting to see him tell another compelling tale in that corner of the MCU — this time with Denzel Washington along for the ride.
Schreier should prove to be an inspired choice for X-Men. With Thunderbolts*, he was able to craft a poignant narrative that dealt with some heavy themes while still tapping into an entertaining team dynamic and genre thrills. That combination sounds ideal for X-Men, as that property has typically balanced insightful social commentary with superhero action. It’ll be exciting to see what Schreier does with X-Men, especially since those characters should be the main focus of Marvel’s next big cinematic saga. Now that Coogler has publicly commented on Schreier’s involvement, it’ll also be interesting to see when Kevin Feige issues some kind of official statement on the matter. Marvel is skipping Hall H at this year’s Comic-Con, but the studio is always thinking about the future. It wouldn’t be a shock if Feige shared more official X-Men details soon.
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