F. Gary Gray May Direct Marvel's BLACK PANTHER

This is a defining moment in director F. Gary Gray's career. Following his massive success with the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton earlier this summer, he's on a lot of studios' radar, perhaps more than any other time in his twenty year stretch in the industry.

We just wrote this morning about how he's entered negotiations to direct Furious 8, the next installment in Universal's smash hit franchise, and in their write-up about that news, Variety also dropped a little bomb of its own: Gray is apparently "a contender" to direct Marvel Studios' Black Panther solo film.

The studio has been searching for a director for the 2018 release for a while now, and had conversations with fan favorite choice Ava DuVernay (Selma), who ultimately decided to pass on the project because she wouldn't be able to make the movie she wanted to make. Some directors can work well with a hands-on producer like Kevin Feige over their shoulders, and others can't, so kudos to DuVernay for knowing her style and tapping out before she got involved. We'll see if Gray is the type of filmmaker who can step up and work within Marvel's parameters. His filmography also includes Law Abiding Citizen, Friday, The Italian Job, The Negotiator, A Man Apart, and Be Cool.

There's no word on who else may be up for the Black Panther directing gig, and if he does end up working on Furious 8, there's a possibility that Gray would be out of the running for the superhero film. But depending on scheduling, he may be able to fit both projects into his schedule, going directly from one right into the other. As much as I'm pulling for Gray here, I sort of hope that doesn't happen just because I want him to give his all to each of these projects and not be distracted by the other one. The best thing may be for him to just choose one and stick with it. What do you think?

Furious 8 is scheduled to come to theaters on April 14th, 2017, and Black Panther arrives on July 6th, 2018.