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Ryan Coogler
American filmmaker From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ryan Coogler is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards[1] and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award.
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He made his feature-length debut with the independent film Fruitvale Station (2013) before transitioning to directing and writing franchise films such as the Rocky series spinoff, Creed (2015) as well as the Marvel films Black Panther (2018), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Coogler has also produced the historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) and directed the supernatural horror film Sinners (2025).
In 2013, he was included on Time's list of the 30 people under 30 who are changing the world.[2] In 2018, Coogler was named the runner-up of Time's Person of the Year and he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.[3] In 2021, Coogler, his wife, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian founded multimedia production company Proximity Media.[4]
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Early life
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Coogler's mother, Joselyn is a community organizer, and his father, Ira Coogler, is a juvenile hall probation counselor. Both parents graduated from California State University, Hayward. He has two brothers, Noah and Keenan.[5] His uncle, Clarence Thomas, is a third-generation Oakland longshoreman, and the former secretary treasurer of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.[6]
Coogler lived in Oakland until age eight, when the family moved to Richmond, California.[5] During his youth, he ran track and played football.[7] He went to a private Catholic high school, Saint Mary's College High School in Albany, California,[8] and did well in math and science.[9][10]
Coogler attended Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California on a football scholarship as a redshirt wide receiver his college freshman semester, intending to major in chemistry.[5] The football players were encouraged to take a creative writing course. Coogler's teacher praised his work, noting that it was very visual, and encouraged him to learn screenwriting.[10][11] As a student athlete coming up in the Bay Area, Coogler befriended and often played against NFL running back Marshawn Lynch.[12]
After Saint Mary's canceled its football program in March 2004,[13] Coogler transferred and earned a scholarship to Sacramento State, where he had 112 receptions for 1,213 yards and 6 touchdowns during his four years playing football.[14] At Sacramento, he obtained a bachelor's degree in finance and also took as many film classes as he could fit in with the rigors of college football. Following graduation, he was accepted into a three-year master's program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he made a series of short films.[15][5]
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Career
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2009–2013: Early work and breakthrough
While at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Coogler directed four short films, three of which won or were nominated for various awards.[citation needed] Locks (2009) screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Dana and Albert Broccoli Award for Filmmaking Excellence.[citation needed] Fig (2011), written by Alex George Pickering, won the HBO Short Film Competition at the American Black Film Festival, the DGA Student Film Award, and was nominated for Outstanding Independent Short Film at the Black Reel Awards.[citation needed] Gap (2011), written by Carol Lashof, won the Jack Nicholson Award for Achievement in Directing.[16] In January 2013, Coogler said he was working on a graphic novel and young adult novel about an undisclosed subject matter.[17]
In 2013, Coogler wrote and directed his first feature-length film, Fruitvale Station (originally titled Fruitvale), which told the story of the last 24 hours of the life of Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan), who was shot to death by a police officer at Oakland's Fruitvale BART station on January 1, 2009. Produced by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker,[18] the film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the top Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic competition and was released in theatres on July 20, 2013. Made on a budget of $900,000, the film grossed over $17 million worldwide after its theatrical run.[19][20][21]
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Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called Fruitvale Station "a gut punch of a movie" and "an unstoppable cinematic force".[22] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that Coogler's "hand-held shooting style evokes the spiritually alert naturalism of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne".[23] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a compelling debut" and "a powerful dramatic feature film".[24] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a score of 94% based on 195 reviews, with a critical consensus that reads: "Passionate and powerfully acted, Fruitvale Station serves as a celebration of life, a condemnation of death, and a triumph for star Michael B. Jordan."[25] The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2013.[26]
2015–2019: Expansion with franchise films
In 2015, Coogler released his second film, Creed, a spin-off of the Rocky films, which Coogler directed and co-wrote with Aaron Covington. The film starred Michael B. Jordan as Apollo Creed's son Donnie, who is trained and mentored by his father's old friend and former rival Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone.[27][28][29][30] It received critical acclaim from critics and audiences and grossed over $173 million worldwide. Among its accolades, Stallone won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[27][28]
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Coogler served as an executive producer on the ESPN 30 for 30 film The Day the Series Stopped, about Game Three of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, when an earthquake shook the Bay Area to its core.[31] In 2018, Coogler co-wrote and directed the Marvel film Black Panther,[32][33] making him the first African-American Marvel Studios director.[34] The film starred Chadwick Boseman as the titular character, who is crowned king of Wakanda following his father's death, but is challenged by his cousin, Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan), who plans to abandon the country's isolationist policies and begin a global revolution.[35][36]
Upon release, Black Panther grossed $1.3 billion worldwide and broke numerous box office records, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by an African-American director, the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film of 2018. Black Panther received critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus reads, "Black Panther elevates superhero cinema to thrilling new heights while telling one of the MCU's most absorbing stories—and introducing some of its most fully realized characters."[37] The film was also noted for its representation of African-Americans and subject matter related to Afrofuturism.[38] The film was nominated for seven awards at the 91st Academy Awards, winning three, and received numerous other accolades. Black Panther is the first superhero film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, and the first MCU film to win several categories (those being for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Original Score).
2020–present: Sinners and producing
In 2021, Coogler served as a co-producer alongside Charles D. King and Shaka King on the Fred Hampton biopic Judas and the Black Messiah, directed by Shaka King,[39] which focused on the betrayal of Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late-1960s Chicago, by William O'Neal (played by LaKeith Stanfield). The film received critical acclaim and received six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, and earned Coogler, Shaka King and Charles D. King a nomination for Best Picture, the first for an African-American producing team. Also in 2021, Coogler served as co-writer and producer on Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James.[40] The film received generally negative reviews and was a financial failure, grossing $163 million worldwide on a budget of $150 million. Coogler returned to direct and co-write the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was released in the United States on November 11, 2022. It was a critical and commercial success, being nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one.[41][42] Coogler served as an executive producer on Creed II, and wrote the story outline and served as a producer on Creed III.[43]
Coogler collaborated with Jordan for a fifth time on Sinners, a supernatural horror film, which was released in April 2025.[44] It received critical acclaim.[45] Coogler negotiated an unprecedented deal with Warner Bros. for the film, which included a provision for full ownership reversion 25 years after the film's release, granting him control over future licensing, royalties, and sequels.[citation needed] The agreement also granted Coogler first-dollar gross participation (earning a percentage of box office revenue immediately) and final cut privileges, ensuring creative control.[citation needed] Coogler cited the film's themes of Black ownership and familial legacy—drawing inspiration from his Mississippi-born grandfather's experiences as motivations for the ownership clause.[46] Industry analysts noted the deal challenged traditional studio models, with outlets like Variety questioning its profitability.[47]
Upcoming projects
Coogler will work with Jordan in the upcoming film Wrong Answer, based on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.[48]
In February 2021, Coogler's production company Proximity Media signed an exclusive five-year deal with Disney to produce content for them, which includes a Disney+ television series based in Black Panther's home country of Wakanda.[49] Proximity will also co-produce the Marvel series Ironheart for the streaming service; star Dominique Thorne had debuted as the titular character in Wakanda Forever.[50] More recently, former HBO executive Kalia Booker had joined the television arm of Proximity Media.[51]
In November 2024, Denzel Washington stated that Coogler is currently writing the script for Black Panther 3 and he has been cast in an undisclosed role.[52]
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Themes and recognition
Black Panther (2018) broke numerous box office records and became the highest-grossing film of all time by an African American director.[53] Many of Coogler's films have received widespread acclaim and commercial success.[54] His work has been hailed by critics for centering on often overlooked cultures and characters—most notably African Americans.[55][56] He frequently collaborates with actor Michael B. Jordan and composer Ludwig Göransson, who have, respectively, appeared in and composed all of his films.[57]
Personal life
Coogler has worked since age 21 as a counselor with incarcerated youth at San Francisco's Juvenile Hall, following in the footsteps of his father, who has long shared the same occupation.[58] Coogler is also a founding member[59] and supporter of the Blackout For Human Rights campaign, which is committed to addressing racial and human rights violations happening throughout the United States.[60]
In 2016, Coogler married Zinzi Evans, with whom he has two children.[61]
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Filmography
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Feature film
As writer and/or producer
Short films
Other credits
Television
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Reception of feature films
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Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
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