Ryan Coogler’s ascent to the highest realm of blockbuster auteurs has been nothing short of a movie on its own. His iconic films shift culture, but what about his life on the other side of this mythical fame he has already achieved? Coogler’s long-time collaborator, Michael B. Jordan, might have the answer.

Not every influential director can grow a revolutionary heartbeat in their oeuvre. But for Coogler, who began his career with very low-budget films, with the Black Panther films and Sinners featuring Jordan, he has notched multiple historically significant hits, and now he contemplates his future. 

The filmmaker's reflections on his life and career after the third Black Panther movie show humility, grace, and decentering of the creative mind. 

Ryan Coogler agreed with Sinners star Michael B. Jordan when contemplating his career after Black Panther 3. Speaking to The New York Times on what Coogler would do after the Marvel sequel, Jordan said, Coogler would definitely "chill and take a break to replenish his creative juices," but soon he would get busy with new ideas and "then, somewhere within that, he’ll get restless."  

The director quipped that Jordan knows him too well. Meanwhile, Coogler is already planning for his future, as expected of a visionary filmmaker, who had a poetic answer when the publication asked him about what he would do next after acquiring all the power and prestige.

Reflecting on his career after Black Panther 3, his forthcoming and main project slated for a 2028 release, Coogler told the publication that for his future, he pictures "a green meadow with Bay Area fog on it, and it’s dawn. That’s what I see after that movie." To him, the vision renders an "open opportunity" and "feels like open land." 

However, that future step momentarily away from the glitz and glam of Hollywood remains far away.

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The filmmaker now seems to be all set for the creative wilderness with his slate booked and busy. 

After achieving monumental success with Sinners, Ryan Coogler is currently fired up for the 2028 release of his Marvel project, Black Panther 3, featuring Oscar-winner Denzel Washington. To Coogler, the film is not simply a high-budget spectacle. 

The sequel is expected to portray and deepen the understanding of what it means for Wakanda to lose its main hero after the "blip" and also continue to honor Chadwick Boseman's legacy.

Black Panther 3 will, however, venture into new areas of power and characters, with F1: The Movie star Damson Idris rumoured to be the new T'Challa, per ComicBookMovie. 

Coogler is also developing the upcoming reboot of the TV series The X-Files. While his career after the "meadow" is not known to him yet, the filmmaker is also hyped up about projects he is set to produce with Proximity Media. As Coogler guides the Marvel Cinematic Universe to another impending blockbuster in its Phase 7, his own winding-down phase seems to be further than expected.

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Which upcoming Ryan Coogler project are you most excited about? Comment your thoughts below.