---
name: "Ryan Coogler"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ryan-coogler"
fi1m_id: "ryan-coogler"
imdb_id: "nm3363032"
tmdb_id: 1056121
wikidata_id: "Q7383978"
roles: ["Writer","Director","Producer"]
born: "23 May 1986"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T07:55:27.017303+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ryan Coogler

## Identity

Ryan Coogler

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ryan-coogler
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** ryan-coogler
- **IMDb ID:** nm3363032
- **TMDB ID:** 1056121
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7383978
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Coogler, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7383978, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3363032/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1056121

Writer and director. Born 23 May 1986 in Oakland, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Director, Producer
- **Born:** 23 May 1986, Oakland, California, USA
- **Active:** 2013–present
- **Also known as:** Ryan Kyle Coogler
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 4 directing, 1 writing, 2 producing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Michael B. Jordan](https://film.one/person/michael-b-jordan.md), [Danai Gurira](https://film.one/person/danai-gurira.md), [Joe Robert Cole](https://film.one/person/joe-robert-cole.md), [Kevin Feige](https://film.one/person/kevin-feige.md), [Lupita Nyong'o](https://film.one/person/lupita-nyongo.md), [Phylicia Rashad](https://film.one/person/phylicia-rashad.md), [Tessa Thompson](https://film.one/person/tessa-thompson.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 4 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2010s 80 (4), 2020s 74 (4)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Coogler, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7383978, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3363032/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1056121

## Coming up

- *Black Panther 3* (2028-12-13), Writer

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Black Panther*](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md) (80), [*Creed III*](https://film.one/film/creed-iii.md) (72), [*Black Panther: Wakanda Forever*](https://film.one/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever.md) (66)
- **Apple TV:** [*Creed*](https://film.one/film/creed.md) (85)
- **HBO Max:** [*Sinners*](https://film.one/film/sinners.md) (79)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Ryan Coogler

> Ryan Coogler’s films are worth watching for the time they spend with people between the fights. His writing is warm and attentive to family and community, though the genre plots are not always as interesting.

At dinner in *Creed* (2015), Adonis and Bianca have time to enjoy each other’s company without being hurried towards the next bout. That is where Ryan Coogler’s writing is often at its best: somebody has a life beyond the contest we have come to watch. Co-written with Aaron Covington, the film earns its warmth in such exchanges, with Tessa Thompson giving Bianca an independence the story needs. Production designer Hannah Beachler’s dinner setting looks like somewhere people might actually choose to eat. The boxing plot is predictable, but these two make us willing to follow it.

His writer-director debut, *Fruitvale Station* (2013), was a researched drama drawn from real events. *Creed* took him into an established series, followed by his co-writing and directing of *Black Panther* (2018) and *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* (2022). Those changes in scale did not displace his interest in Black identity, family and inheritance. *Sinners* (2025), an original horror film, gives him more freedom to linger with a community before the danger arrives.

Michael B. Jordan gives him a useful continuity, playing Adonis in *Creed* and the twins Smoke and Stack in *Sinners*. Their work together can be forceful without losing sight of the people doing the fighting. In *Creed*, cinematographer Maryse Alberti’s single-take bout keeps the movement clear and denies us the relief of a cut. We were tense throughout that bout, because the unbroken shot made us wait for the next hit. The scene shows how much Coogler gains when the staging makes us feel what a character is enduring.

In *Sinners*, the preparations for a juke joint in 1932 Mississippi are more involving than the vampire siege. Coogler takes time over who will play, cook and work the door, and over who is still angry about being left. This is his writing at its loosest, and the music gives the gathering a purpose beyond supplying people to menace. When editor Michael P. Shawver’s patient cutting becomes busier, the film settles into a more familiar pattern. The siege works, but we would rather have stayed with the preparations.

*Creed III* (2023) suggests what happens when that time with people is squeezed out. Coogler has a story credit rather than a screenplay credit here; the screenplay is by Zach Baylin and Keenan Coogler. The friendship and guilt are hurried, and Bianca’s own work receives intermittent attention. There are inventive fights, but we wanted longer conversations. Start with *Creed*, where the familiar boxing story leaves enough time for dinner.

## Biography

Ryan Coogler is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He made his feature debut with *Fruitvale Station* (2013), which he also wrote, after studying at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He has since directed and co-written *Creed* (2015), *Black Panther* (2018) and *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* (2022).

Coogler wrote the story and served as a producer on *Creed III* (2023). He wrote, directed and produced the supernatural horror film *Sinners* (2025) through his company Proximity Media, founded with his wife Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, variety.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Directed (4)

- *Sinners* (2025), Fi1m 79, Producer, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/sinners.md)
- *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* (2022), Fi1m 66, Story, Songs, Screenplay, Director, Lyricist — [page](https://film.one/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever.md)
- *Black Panther* (2018), Fi1m 80, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md)
- *Creed* (2015), Fi1m 85, Story, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/creed.md)

### Wrote (1) — the average rests on these

- *Creed III* (2023), Fi1m 72, Producer, Story — [page](https://film.one/film/creed-iii.md)

### Produced (2)

- *Judas and the Black Messiah* (2021), Fi1m 80, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/judas-and-the-black-messiah.md)
- *Creed II* (2018), Fi1m 64, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/creed-ii.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Moonlight* (2016), Fi1m 89, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/moonlight.md)

## Complete filmography (33)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Black Panther 3* (2028), Writer, Director
- *Eyes of Wakanda* (2025), series, Executive Producer
- *Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time* (2025), series, Executive Producer
- *Ironheart* (2025), series, Executive Producer
- *Sinners* (2025), Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/sinners.md)
- *Megalopolis* (2024), Thanks — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/megalopolis.md)
- *Stephen Curry: Underrated* (2023), Producer
- *Anthem* (2023), Producer
- *Creed III* (2023), Producer, Story — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/creed-iii.md)
- *Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever* (2023), series, Executive Producer, Thanks
- *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* (2022), Story, Screenplay, Director, Lyricist, Songs — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever.md)
- *Space Jam: A New Legacy* (2021), Producer
- *Judas and the Black Messiah* (2021), Producer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/judas-and-the-black-messiah.md)
- *Homeroom* (2021), Executive Producer
- *Creed II* (2018), Executive Producer — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/creed-ii.md)
- *Black Panther* (2018), Writer, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md)
- *Moonlight* (2016), Thanks — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/moonlight.md)
- *Creed* (2015), Director, Screenplay, Story — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/creed.md)
- *The Day the Series Stopped* (2014), Executive Producer
- *HitRECord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt* (2014), series, Director
- *Clapping for the Wrong Reasons* (2013), Thanks
- *Fruitvale Station* (2013), Director, Screenplay
- *It's Just Art, Baby* (2012), Assistant Camera
- *Fig* (2011), Director
- *The Sculptor* (2011), Director, Writer
- *Get Some* (2010), Boom Operator, Sound Mixer, Sound Editor
- *Gap* (2010), Director, Screenplay
- *On The Grind* (2009), Additional Camera, Grip
- *30 for 30* (2009), series, Executive Producer
- *Locks* (2009), Producer, Sound Designer, Director, Writer, Sound Editor
- *Doppelgänger*, Producer
- *Untitled Sundance Institute Project*, series, Executive Producer
- *Wrong Answer*, Director

## Gallery

- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-9c88f8e9ce86.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Ryan_Coogler_-_Sinners_2025_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Punk Toad, Copper Queen, Ryan Coogler and John Cooper (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-130396ba24e5.jpg) Punk Toad, Copper Queen, Ryan Coogler and John Cooper (2013) — PunkToad from oakland, us, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/After_Film_Church_%288423487379%29.jpg/1280px-After_Film_Church_%288423487379%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Chris Hardwick, Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker speaking at a Blac (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-b0bb612a9b16.jpg) Chris Hardwick, Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker speaking at a Blac (2017) — Nehrams2020, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/BlackPantherCastSDCC2017.jpg/1280px-BlackPantherCastSDCC2017.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Chadwick Boseman speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International, for "Bla](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-58e303ad97c9.jpg) Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Chadwick Boseman speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International, for "Bla — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Black_Panther_cast_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/1280px-Black_Panther_cast_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-8b33a6592481.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Image via TMDB
- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-c4447d90a771.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Image via TMDB
- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-611fdbfc7a2c.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Image via TMDB
- ![Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Chadwick Boseman speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International, for "Bla](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-5e12f6c7e1f3.jpg) Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Chadwick Boseman speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International, for "Bla — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Black_Panther_cast_by_Gage_Skidmore_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Black_Panther_cast_by_Gage_Skidmore_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Chris Hardwick, Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, A (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-beb473a0721a.jpg) Chris Hardwick, Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, A (2017) — Gage Skidemore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Black_Panther_cast_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg/1280px-Black_Panther_cast_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-1f4a3f379012.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Image via TMDB
- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-6c6fd768e62b.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Image via TMDB
- ![Ryan Coogler](https://film.one/media/person/8580/gallery-978a19eda12a.jpg) Ryan Coogler — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 4 nominated

- 2026: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won), for *Sinners*
- 2026: Best Director (nominated), for *Sinners*
- 2026: Best Picture (nominated), for *Sinners*
- 2023: Best Original Song (nominated), for *Lift Me Up*
- 2021: Best Picture (nominated), for *Judas and the Black Messiah*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 2026: Best Original Screenplay (won), for *Sinners*

### Other awards — 6 won

- Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director 2026: Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director (won), for *Sinners*
- Critics' Choice Awards 2026: Best Original and Adapted Screenplay (won), for *Sinners*
- Time 100 2018: Time 100 (won)
- Independent Spirit Awards 2014: Best First Feature (won), for *Fruitvale Station*
- Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award 2014: Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award (won), for *Fruitvale Station*
- Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award 2013: Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award (won), for *Fruitvale Station*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ryan-coogler