Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has recently been at the center of public consideration to head up Avengers: Secret Wars. Coogler addressed these murmurings and more in a recent interview featuring comments from other Marvel Studios execs as well.
Based on the superhero team of the same name from Marvel Comics, The Avengers have been the preeminent drivers and main characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's overarching narrative through all its phases. Now, with sweeping changes to the team and new villains in the works, Black Panther 2 director Ryan Coogler seems a likely choice to head up the next mainline MCU film, which was named Secret Wars after the highly popular comic book arc it will likely draw heavily from.
In an interview with Variety, Coogler, who had to make sweeping changes to Black Panther 2 after the passing of Chadwick Boseman, waved away rumors that he had been pegged to direct the upcoming project, much to the disappointment of many fans. “I love making movies, but to quote a character in our movie, I gave this everything,” he said, referring to his work on Wakanda Forever. “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.”
Boseman's passing had a major effect on his co-workers, no more than Coogler himself, who recently revealed that he almost quit filmmaking after Boseman died. While he has fortunately reconsidered, fans won’t see his creative touch on Avengers: Secret Wars like many hoped. This tallies with MCU boss Kevin Feige's assertion on the issue, with the chief exec expressing that he “...would want Ryan to do anything at any time because he’s a singular talent and a great person to spend years with,” Feige says. “But no, in all honesty, there’ve been no conversations. We’ve not spoken to him about ‘Secret Wars.'”
As for the possibility of a third installment of the Black Panther franchise, Feige fell back on earlier assurances of the character’s longevity, saying, “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.” However, Feige clarified that working without Coogler on another Black Panther project was undesirable, making it clear that the project was on the table and the job would undoubtedly be Coogler's for the taking.
Whether or not the offer will be met with a positive response is still doubtful, with Coogler himself conceding that he had a difficult time writing Black Panther 2 without Boseman. While a new narrative could be built around a new character could work, the strong impression that Boseman left on the viewing audience and everyone who worked with him cannot be overstated, and a Black Panther project completely removed from his involvement or memory might not be something those involved want to pursue.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theaters.
Source: Variety