One of the biggest filmmaking talents in Hollywood today, Ryan Coogler, recently shared his greatest regret from one of his most critically acclaimed masterpieces, Black Panther.
Since his first feature film, Fruitvale Station in 2013, Ryan Coogler has been one of the most exciting young talents in the filmmaking industry and has seen a total transformation in his career over the last decade. His first feature film won the top audience and grand jury awards in the US Dramatic Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Since then, he has seen many successful filming endeavours such as directing the seventh film in the Rocky franchise, Creed and writing for its sequel Creed II. It appears that Michael B. Jordan and the director thoroughly enjoy working together as he was in both Creed and Black Panther under the director’s guidance.
Ryan Coogler saw an absolute explosion in popularity when he had the opportunity to direct the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther in 2018, which was a unanimous success, receiving overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim, and breaking several box office records.
This was not its only achievement, however, as it was also the highest-grossing film of all time to have been directed by an African American. Now, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever having been announced with an official trailer at the San Diego Comic-Con, fans are waiting with bated breath for something even bigger and better, and we do not doubt that Coogler will be able to reach our expectations.
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The One Regret
With such a highly acclaimed film, it’s hard to imagine that someone as highly accomplished as Coogler would have any regrets, yet he shared with The Toronto Sun that there is one scene that he always finds himself dwelling on.
To drive the story, Ryan Coogler found himself deciding to kill off Ulysses Klaue (portrayed by Andy Serkis) in Black Panther.
The charismatic, South African salesman who makes a living by selling weapons of mass destruction to the highest bidder made an appearance in Black Panther and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the former, he meets his end after encountering a black ops US Navy Seal nicknamed ‘Killmonger’ portrayed by Michael B. Jordan.
After making the decision he was reportedly upset that he had to kill him off while still insisting it was necessary for the integrity of the narrative. “I like Klaue,” he reported, “I was bugged by having to do that. It’s tough when you have to kill characters off, and I really did love that character.” Coogler even went so far as to include the world-renowned motion capture actor in his praises, “I love Andy. He’s a lovely person. But again, it’s one of those things where when you’ve got so many people in a movie, some of them have to go.”
According to the intrepid director, Klaue’s death, though disappointing, was entirely necessary to move the story forward, especially in a film filled to overflowing with so many absorbing and intriguing characters and a nation of so much wonder.
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