According to a new report, Marvel Studios looked into bringing in Black Panther director Ryan Coogler to helm an X-Men movie. Coogler is best known for his work on the two Black Panther movies for Marvel Studios, Creed, Fruitvale Station, and the critically acclaimed 2025 vampire blockbuster Sinners.
While it was revealed that Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier may take the wheel on Marvel Studios' stab at an X-Men film, that may not have always been the case. Insider Jeff Sneider said he heard Ryan Coogler was once in the running. This comes as rumors about the MCU take on Marvel's marvelous mutant team begin to swirl online, including news on potential casting, plot details, and when the movie may actually release.
Speaking on The Hot Mic Podcast, Sneider said, "I know they did talk to Ryan Coogler at one point" before ultimately going a different direction with the project. He added that things did not work out with the Black Panther filmmaker primarily due to "timing," as his next MCU project will likely be Black Panther 3:
"But Coogler, with the timing, you know, he'd have to focus on 'Black Panther 3.' he's needed in another corner of the universe."
Coogler has not publicly commented on the idea of taking on an X-Men-centric project, but whispers percolated about the names that passed on the Marvel Studios title.
Deadpool comic creator Rob Liefeld shared on X shortly after Schreier was announced as the front-runner to direct the X-Men movie. He told fans that "heads would spin" if they knew all the filmmakers who had said no:
"If I told you the names that passed on this directorial opportunity, your heads would spin…"
The MCU X-Men movie has not yet been dated but has long been in the works at the super-powered brand. Just one week after his Thunderbolts* film came to theaters, Jake Schreier was reported to be the first choice as director of the new X-Men film.
This movie will mark a significant moment for Marvel Studios as an original take on the mutant team that has not yet appeared in the series. Instead, the MCU has opted for legacy characters like Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Patrick Stewart's Professor X.
Why Marvel Studios Made the Right Choice With Its X-Men Director
While Ryan Coogler has proven that he is a filmmaking force to be reckoned with, it may have been for the best that he did not direct Marvel Studios' X-Men movie.
Coogler's take on Wakanda has become iconic in the MCU. He understands that world and its characters so well. So, if the studio can keep him working in that particular pocket of the Marvel world, it should.
If Coogler were going to do X-Men (which would have likely made for an epic movie in its own right), that would take him away from the long-rumored Black Panther 3 that Marvel Studios has been trying to get off the ground.
Unless Coogler is deeply passionate about making an X-Men movie (something he seems not to be), then Marvel should honor that and let him explore exactly what he wants in the MCU. If that is more Black Panther—a franchise that he has been with since the beginning—then the wise decision would be to let him do that.
With Jake Schreier potentially at the helm, Marvel Studios is getting another proven name who has shown he understands what it takes to make a superhero team-up film like the X-Men.
