Black Panther stood out in the MCU for a multitude of reasons, and a major factor for it was the involvement of the director Ryan Coogler. The transformation he brought to the table was nothing short of a revolution in the MCU, and all stemmed from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky spin-off, Creed’s huge success. The ripple effect of Stallone’s Creed not only broke barriers but also played a crucial role in shaping one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most successful movies.
How Ryan Coogler, Director of Sylvester Stallone’s Creed, Altered MCU History!
When the MCU was looking for a director in 2016 for Black Panther, Ryan Coogler’s name was circulating in the industry, mainly due to the success of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky spin-off, Creed. Interestingly, it wasn’t the first time Coogler had been approached. However, after the success of Creed, the MCU was determined to bring him on board. This time around, Coogler had a unique condition, one that had never happened in the history of the MCU. Desperate to have him, the MCU agreed to his terms, marking a significant shift in its history.
The condition was him using his own production crew instead of Marvel’s in-house team. This meant bringing on board collaborators from his previous films which dramatically distinguished this film from other MCU productions, where the same in-house personnel are typically involved in the processes throughout be it shooting, composition, or editing.
Among them was Rachel Morrison, the cinematographer for Fruitvale Station, alongside production designer Hannah Beachler and composer Ludwig Göransson both from Fruitvale Station and Creed. This sure did add a different flavor to the whole movie that turned out amazing, all thanks to Coogler’s vision.
How Ryan Coogler Steered the Black Panther Saga After Chadwick Boseman’s Passing
Following the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020, the director faced the daunting task of reshaping his vision for the sequel to what many consider the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He spoke with Okay Player, and said,
“I thought it would be interesting to see a character study on him,–When we were getting ready to make that movie, it was shortly after Endgame had been released. And it was a movie about a guy who disappeared for five years and came back and found a lot of things different, like new relationships and new responsibilities for himself. And he was trying to navigate that while running an extremely powerful country that was in a new place.”
He further continued,
“It wasn’t meant to be,–We weren’t destined to make that film. I had to swallow my pride there with that one because I had never been in that situation before as a professional. I’ve been blessed that whenever I wrote a script, I went and shot it. And in this case, there was nobody I could call or plead to say, ‘Hey, yo, we got to make this movie.’ Couldn’t do it. And that was something we had to reckon with, and that was nothing compared to reckoning with losing him as a friend and as a mentor.”
Originally, the script had T’Challa returning to a home that went through big changes during the blip. But in the revised script, they decided to shake things up. The filmmakers openly addressed the loss and the absence which couldn’t be ignored and thus took the story on a new path. This shift brought a fresh twist to T’Challa’s journey and gave the fans a cool look at how things unfold in Wakanda.
