‘That’s not advice. Get out of here’: Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther’ wisdom had an unexpected impact on ‘The Marvels’

Writer/director Nia DaCosta‘s impressive ascent in Hollywood began with the release of her debut film, Little Woods, in 2018. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was given the Nora Ephron Award for “excellence in storytelling by a female writer or director.” That same year, she was selected by Jordan Peele to co-write and direct the Candyman reboot.

For her third film, DaCosta is helming The Marvels for Kevin Feige and company, a sequel to the billion-dollar sensation Captain Marvel from 2019.

As DaCosta finishes work on the multi-quadrant blockbuster, she took some time to contemplate on the last few years in a writeup for Harper’s Bazaar, where she reflected on some important advice from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler that she didn’t understand initially.

DaCosta explained:

“The best advice I got was from Ryan Coogler, but it didn’t make sense until after we wrapped. He said, ‘Just be yourself.’ I was like, ‘That’s not advice. Get out of here.’ Then afterwards I was like, ‘Oh, he was saying that there’s no point in trying to play politics or trying to be something you’re not. They chose you because of who you are. Bring that to the table.’

The writer/director also discussed other lessons she learned while making The Marvels:

“What I learned from working on that film is that trust, communication, and letting your ego take the back seat are huge parts of the directorial process. So is being honest with what you don’t know. The really cool thing about Marvel is, as soon as you get the job, they’re like, ‘Go call all the other Marvel film directors. Ask them questions.’ I got really great guidance. Everyone was so generous.”

Here’s hoping that her entry in the MCU will start an uptick in quality for the behemoth producer, which has been struggling to find its stride in phases 4 and 5. We don’t doubt that DaCosta has a unique perspective that comic book cinema can benefit from — we just hope her vision isn’t crushed inside the test-screening, reshooting, rapidly rearranging machine that is Marvel.

The Marvels hits theaters on Nov. 10.