'Black Panther' fails to get a director as Ryan Coogler drops out. The 'Creed' filmmaker is reported to be the third to turn down Marvel's offer to helm Marvel's first ever non-white standalone superhero film after Ana DuVernay and F. Gary Gray. Speculations point to lack of script and creative control issues.
Ana DuVernay of 'Selma' fame was the first filmmaker approached by Marvel to helm the widely anticipated live-action adaptation of 'Black Panther'. According to Cinema Blend, she had to turn the offer down due to creative differences with the studio. After news of her attachment to the project spread, she announced, "I'm not signing on to direct Black Panther. I think I'll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be. Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they're fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me."
F. Gary Gray was the next director speculated to fill the gap left behind by DuVernay. According to /Film, Gray was also considered another film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the past. He was shortlisted as one of the directors eyed for 'Captain America: Winter Soldier' but eventually turned it down to direct the critically-acclaimed N.W.A. biographical drama, 'Straight Outta Compton'.
When Gray was no longer attached to 'Black Panther' in favor of helming the upcoming 'Fast 8' film, Ryan Coogler became the third director speculated to take on the role. However, Decider reported that Coogler recently dropped out of the project as well. Several speculations point to the lack of an existing script and creative control issues to be the main reasons behind his sudden exit from the live-action adaptation.
Coogler is best known for his work on 'Fruitvale Station', where he won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film during the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. He also directed the 2015 sports drama film 'Creed' that stars basketball sensation Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson Creed.
'Black Panther' is an upcoming superhero film scheduled to be released on February 16, 2018. It stars Chadwick Boseman in the titular role of T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther, leader of the fictional Wakanda. The film is known to be Marvel's first standalone film for a non-white superhero.
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