When most major movies come out these days, the film’s stars spend days making the talk show circuit and fielding questions from high-profile YouTube channels. The reason for that is that a lot of moviegoers pay attention when major stars speak about their projects so putting them out there is the most effective way to promote a film.
On top of the movie stars making the rounds, the film’s director typically takes part in some interviews in the lead-up to the release of their project. However, the director’s comments rarely get much coverage which is interesting considering how much power a film director wields behind the scenes. Sadly, the reason why the press rarely pays attention to a film director’s comments is most of them aren’t very famous.
Of course, there are a handful of famous film directors, including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Kevin Smith, Kathryn Bigelow, and Quentin Tarantino. On top of all those directors, Ryan Coogler has also risen to a certain level of fame since he has directed several extremely successful films. Despite that, a lot of people have no idea that Coogler recently described working on an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film as “the hardest thing”.
Ryan’s Rise To Power
At one point in Ryan Coogler’s past, his life was defined by athletics as he attended Saint Mary's College of California on a football scholarship. Thankfully for film fans everywhere, the football players at that school were encouraged to take a creative writing course and when Coogler did so, his style received a great deal of praise. After being encouraged to learn how to craft scripts because his writing was so visual, Coogler’s focus changed and he went on to learn at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Ryan Coogler went on to write and direct the independent film Fruitvale Station which starred Michael B. Jordan. An extremely powerful film, Fruitvale Station put Jordan on the map and led to him starring in many beloved films. On top of that, Fruitvale Station gave Coogler lots of credibility in Hollywood.
Once Ryan Coogler revealed how talented he is as a director, he was tapped to co-write and direct Creed, the first movie in the Rocky franchise in nearly a decade. Based on the massive success that film enjoyed, Coogler was then tapped to direct one of the most popular, successful, and acclaimed comic book movies of all time, 2018’s Black Panther.
Marvel Movie Struggle
Once Black Panther was such an overwhelming success in every way, Marvel fans everywhere thought it was just a matter of time before Ryan Coogler and Chadwick Boseman reunited to make a sequel. Then, Black Panther fans everywhere were shocked to learn that Boseman tragically passed away at just 43-years-old.
Once Chadwick Boseman lost his life, a lot of people began wondering what that meant for the already announced Black Panther II. After all, Boseman clearly took a lot of pride in the impact that Black Panther had on the world so any idea that the sequel could be scrapped just felt wrong. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for it to be confirmed that Black Panther II was still happening but that doesn’t mean making the film would be easy for those involved. For example, Ryan Coogler talked about how difficult it is to work on the film without Boseman during an appearance on the podcast Jemele Hill is Unbothered.
“This is one of the more profound things that I’ve gone through in my life, having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person who is like the glue who held it together. I’m trying to find a work-life balance. But I’m not there yet, so this is without a question the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my professional life.”
Coogler Expresses His Grief
When the world found out that Chadwick Boseman had met an untimely end in late-2020, there was an outpouring of grief. In fact, it seemed like social media was dominated by fans and stars posting tributes to Boseman for many days after his passing. In the months since that initial wave of sadness began to ebb, many people who had a personal relationship with Boseman have spoken about how his loss has affected them. For example, in March 2021, Ryan Coogler described how hard it has been to mourn Boseman to The Hollywood Reporter.
I miss him in every way that you could miss somebody, as a friend, as a collaborator. And it sucks because I love watching movies, and I don't get to watch the next thing he would have made. So it's grief on a lot of levels, but then, it's a deep sense of gratitude because I can close my eyes and hear his voice."