Ryan Coogler Gave BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER "Everything I Have" and He's Not Sure What's Next
Ryan Coogler has written, directed, and produced several impressive movies over the years, including Fruitvale Station, the Creed films, and the Black Panther movies, which have launched him to another level of success. As he is reaping the rewards of his emotional labors in creating the sequel that many were trepidatious of after the passing of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, Coogler isn’t sure what his next project will be, but he does know he’s ready to sit down and let out the tears he’s been holding back as he brought his vision to life.
In an interview for this week’s Variety cover story, “Wakanda Forever,” Coogler was asked if he would want to helm another Black Panther sequel, and he sighed wearily, saying:
“I can tell you definitively I have no idea what I’m doing next as a writer and director,” he says.
As for Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, he says he has had “conversations” with Coogler about a third Black Panther movie, with “ideas pitched back and forth.” But would Feige ever consider making a Black Panther movie without Coogler?
“I go back to what I said when we decided to make ‘Wakanda Forever’ after losing Chad. This mythology and this ensemble and these characters deserve to continue and will continue after all of us are gone, I hope, and will continue forever in movies the way it has in comics for 50-plus years.”
But, Feige adds, working without Coogler “wouldn’t be the preference.”
When asked if he’s been in talks with Coogler to direct Avengers: Secret Wars — the Endgame-sized conclusion to the MCU’s Multiverse Saga set for May 2026, Feige said:
“Well, I would want Ryan to do anything at any time because he’s a singular talent and a great person to spend years with. But no, in all honesty, there’ve been no conversations. We’ve not spoken to him about ‘Secret Wars.'”
Coogler also waves off speculation that he’s a frontrunner for the Secret Wars job, saying, “That’s crazy.”
With Wakanda Forever just reaching the finish line — and a possible awards season campaign still on the horizon — Coogler is content to stay in the present rather than think about his future quite yet.
“I love making movies, but to quote a character in our movie, I gave this everything. This movie got everything I have. I’m at that place where I think I’ve got this press tour in me and then I’ve got to sit down and reflect. Probably cry a lot, because I’ve been holding that back. And then from there, figure out whatever’s next.”
Whatever he ends up doing, I know I will be there to watch it. I love what he’s done with Black Panther, and I can’t wait to see where he goes after this. Is there an MCU project you’d like to see Ryan Coogler take on next?