Following the success of Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler quickly became a fan-favourite choice to take the helm of Marvel’s Black Panther when Kevin Feige made it clear that the studio wanted to bring some diversity both behind and in front of the camera for this movie.

With Creed proving to be a critical and commercial success in the states, it didn’t take long for Coogler to emerge as a frontrunner to direct the first solo outing for T’Challa (who will appear in Captain America: Civil War later this year), and Marvel made that official this week. So, when HeyUGuys’ own Stefan Pape caught up with the Black Panther director this week, he obviously had to ask him how it felt to land such a highly sought after gig.

After stating that he’s “absolutely” approaching Black Panther in the same personal and intimate as Creed, Coogler added: “I’m excited. I grew very into pop culture, very into comic books, so it’s something that is just as personal to me as the last couple of films I was able to make. I feel really fortunate to be able to work on something I’m this passionate about again.” As for when work on Black Panther begins, it sounds like it’s already started!

It’s going to be very interesting to see how this Phase 3 movie comes together over the next couple of years. Black Panther has been a long time coming, but it’s clearly in good hands…

Creed director Ryan Coogler on Marvel’s Black Panther

To hear more from the filmmaker on Creed, be sure to click right here for the full interview!