It was revealed earlier this year that Marvel had approached Ava DuVernay about directing Black Panther, but she ultimately decided to turn them down. Since then, we’ve heard a few different names mentioned, but nothing concrete, and it now sounds as if the studio has put the task of finding a helmer on the backburner.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joe Robert Cole is now in talks to write Black Panther. Don’t worry if the name isn’t familiar to you, as he’s actually a relative newcomer and comes from Marvel’s in-house writer’s program. He’s worked on American Crime Story for FX though, and also contributed to Revoc, an alien invasion movie being developed by Summit and Lionsgate.
As of right now, the studio is apparently waiting until they have a completed script before seeking out a director, so it could be some time before we get news on that front.
Nicole Perlman came from the same program as Joe Robert Cole and wrote Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, James Gunn completely re-wrote the screenplay, and that could be the case for Black Panther, too. Regardless, Perlman went on to be hired as a co-writer on Captain Marvel, so this is no doubt a big deal for Cole.
Black Panther will star Chadwick Boseman and is set to hit theatres on July 6th, 2018.
