'Black Panther' Finds Director: Ryan Coogler from ‘Creed’ Officially off to Marvel's Wakanda!

Less than a month ago, Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios and the genius who orchestrated the Marvel Cinematic Universe, teased that Creed director Ryan Coogler could be behind the scenes for Black Panther. Now, Coogler has been officially confirmed to direct the 2018 film starring Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, King of Wakanda!

Coogler was confirmed to direct through a press release published on Marvel's website last Monday, barely a day after Sylvester Stallone won a Golden Globe for his performance in the Rocky sequel Coogler directed last year.

OFFICIAL: Ryan Coogler to direct Marvel's #BlackPanther! https://t.co/x9WYGXbjwS pic.twitter.com/JUvZEgVAUf

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) January 12, 2016

"We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family," said producer Feige. "The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct Black Panther. Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know we've found the perfect director to bring T'Challa's story to life."

Of course, this won't be the first time the character pops into the MCU: later this year, Black Panther will be among the myriad of new characters involved in Captain America: Civil War, a film directed by Russo brothers Anthony and Joe.

As Polygon reports, it's been a long ride to get a director for the upcoming film. Ava DuVernay, the director of 2014's Selma, had been brought in to helm the movie but ended up leaving over creative differences, as Marvel is famous for giving a very small amount of creative control to its directors.

After DuVernay pulled out of the project, Marvel eyed Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray, who ended up saying no to the project and choosing to be behind the camera for the eighth installment of Fast and Furious instead.

Still, considering what a huge success Creed was, Coogler was certainly a great choice!

Black Panther will hit theaters on February 16, 2018.