"An incredibly serious and charismatic actor but he also has a deep-seated knowledge and curiosity about African culture": Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther. Credit:AP And now, like Taika Waititi with Thor: Ragnarok late last year, Coogler has put a personal and cultural stamp on the superhero genre with Black Panther, which centres on T'Challa​, a prince played by Chadwick Boseman​ from the mythical African nation of Wakanda​, who first appeared in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Stepping up to become his country's king, T'Challa - through alter ego Black Panther - faces a powerful old enemy, the ominously named Erik Killmonger​, who threatens millions of lives. With Jordan as Killmonger, the cast includes Lupita Nyong'o​ as a Wakandan spy, Get Out's best actor Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya​ as the head of security for a tribe who protect the Wakandan border, Martin Freeman as a CIA agent, Letitia Wright as T'Challa's brilliant scientist sister, Angela Bassett as their mother and de facto advisor to the throne, Forest Whitaker as the nation's spiritual leader and Andy Serkis​ as an illegal arms dealer. Hailed as a fresh and entertaining superhero take, Black Panther has also been called Marvel's most political movie yet, addressing such issues as identity and history.

Danai Gurira (Okoye) on set with director Ryan Coogler. Credit:Matt Kennedy "This film is possibly the most personal film I've made to date," Coogler says. "To me it deals with the answer to a question that I've been asking myself since I was very young - what does it mean to be African? That idea, that concept, I was very interested in and drawn towards. "I was able to explore that in making this film. It enabled me to fulfil a longlife dream of going to the continent of Africa - researching - for the first time. The things that I learned about the continent and the things that I learned about myself were invaluable. I tried to put some of that energy into the project." Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan, left) and W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) in Black Panther. Given his fascination with Africa and the way he depicts Wakanda as the most technologically advanced nation in the world, I suggest he must feel somewhat uncomfortable about US President Donald Trump reportedly describing African nations as "shithole countries" recently.

"I like to keep focus on the film," Coogler says in a deft deflection. "We wrote the film and made the film before the election of 2016. Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Ayo (Florence Kasumba) with the Dora Milaje. "We tried to make it feel as current as possible being true to the comic books and trying to make a Wakanda that fit into the modern world as most of the earthbound Marvel Cinematic Universe films do. That's where our heads were. "We didn't predict how the election would turn out so it's interesting releasing the film now in 2018. I'm going to be excited to see what people think of it." T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) in his Black Panther outfit.

So is the movie even more relevant now given the Black Lives Matter movement and the resurgence of the racist right in the US? "You've got to look at when this character was invented," Coogler says. "When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the character, it was the 1960s in the United States and I've got to think they were influenced by things that were going on in the zeitgeist, by things that were going on in the African-American community at the time, by things that were going with Africans worldwide. Ryan Cogler, director and co-writer of Black Panther, at the world premiere in LA. Credit:Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP "The sixties were a time that were very fraught racially in the United States and all over the world. You think about different wars being fought and the international conflict. The thing about this movie and this story is it could be released at any time and it would be relevant." Coogler grew up in California with a mother who was a community organiser and a father who was a juvenile hall probation counsellor. He was a talented athlete - winning a college scholarship for American football - before going to film school. And while he loved comic books as a boy, he never felt excluded by the lack of black characters.

"You can connect to a character that doesn't look like you," Coogler says. "I've connected with Batman and Superman and the X-Men. I read all of those books and loved those movies but to see a hero that looks like you is an added benefit that does wonders in terms of experiencing a film. The value of that can't really be quantified. "I remember the first time I saw Blade. You know how cool Wesley Snipes was in that role. I thought it was just awesome. "I was watching films with Denzel Washington and Will Smith, films like Independence Day when I was young. You see a heroic character leading the film that looks like you, it adds to the experience, [so] I'm confident and I hope that people will connect with our characters even if they aren't of African descent. "But I do think there's an added bonus there for people of colour who are watching the film." Coogler has crossed a line there. Surely, in the Marvel Studios handbook, there is a rule that forbids its directors favourably mentioning Superman, Batman or any other DC Comics character.

"Oh no, that's not true at all," he says with a laugh. "Comic book fans are comic book fans. There's no hard feelings." In taking on Black Panther, Coogler saw something special in T'Challa that separated him from other superheroes. "I really like the idea that's specific to Africa and specific to Wakanda but also quite universal: a character who pulls his strength from the people around him and also engages with his heritage in his connection with his ancestors," he says. "A character that has incredible amount of nobility about him. Those things are really special and unique but also universal." And he is full of praise for how Boseman, who played James Brown in Get On Up and Thoth in Gods of Egypt, approached the role. "The best part about Chadwick is he's an incredibly serious and charismatic actor but he also has a deep-seated knowledge and curiosity about African culture and how it can be portrayed in storytelling," Coogler says. "He's incredibly gifted with dialects and delivering wonderful performances in dialects that are very different from his own. All of those things really helped the film."

So what was it like stepping up to direct a Hollywood blockbuster? "It was an amazing opportunity," Coogler says. "I got to learn how to play on a bigger canvas. It was a lot of hard work and it was challenging a lot of the time. But the rewards that came with it were really great in terms of learning how to tell a story with more of the effects work, with a studio like Marvel which is quite unique in their style. I really enjoyed it and I hope that folks enjoy the film." After the #OscarsSoWhite controversies and calls for more movies centring on women, Black Panther seems to be a sign that Hollywood is recognising the value of diversity both on screen and behind the camera. And the more recent #MeToo and #TimesUp movements will hopefully have an impact, too. But given it has long been clear there are commercial benefits from widening the audience for movies - even without the moral and social considerations - why has it taken so long? "All of the issues that we see in these movements raised are extremely valid," Coogler says. "I can't actually say why it's taken this particular industry so long to address these things. I've only been a part of the industry since very recently.

"But I tell you what, I'm glad that the movements are happening and that things are being done to promote more representation, to promote more equality and not just for income equity but across gender and across ethnic backgrounds. I hope the industry can improve on all of those areas. I'm anxious to see what happens next." Coogler, whose night time Los Angeles journey is finishing as his career one is in its early stages, can expect to be in demand if Black Panther is as successful as projected. Tracking suggests it will have a strong opening weekend in North America at least equal with Spider-Man: Homecoming ($US117 million) and Thor: Ragnarok ($US122 million). "I want to make films that I have a personal connection with," he says of what he plans to do next. "I want to make films that work as entertainment but also help to push the medium forward in terms of representation, in terms of what films can look like and feel like. "I feel like that's what most filmmakers are in it for. Most filmmakers in their hearts are in it for making films that work but work on a personal level and that also push the limits of what cinema is and give people moving experiences." Black Panther opens on February 15.