As we honor this year’s Root 100 recipients— the phenomenal individuals who helped change the world for the better with notable achievements this year—we have to give it up for the iconic filmmaker, Ryan Coogler. From drawing storytelling inspiration from the legendary John Singleton to igniting a worldwide movement with his blockbuster “Black Panther” to his record-breaking film “Sinners,” the highest-grossing debut for an original R-rated film in the 2020s, Coogler is continuously shaping the culture with his powerful narrative genius. Let’s trace the arc of his legendary rise!
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Who is Ryan Coogler?
Ryan Coogler, the son of Joselyn, a community organizer and Ira Coogler, a juvenile hall probation counselor, was born in Oakland on May 23, 1986.
He lived in Oakland until he was 8 years old, then moved to Richmond, a city about 12 miles north from his birthplace. Coogler, who grew up in a tight-knit family, was one of three boys raised Baptist but attended Catholic schools.
Before he was born, three of his grandparents died, but their legacy left a resounding impression on him. “This concept of my relationship with the afterlife, with my own mortality and how that looks through a Catholic lens or a Baptist lens, it’s something that I’ve been reckoning with forever,” he told The New Yorker.
At the tender age of five, Coogler watched “Boyz n the Hood” with his father, sparking his interest in Black storytelling.
Early Years
That’s when the seed for making movies was planted.
Despite growing up as a star track and field athlete and football wide receiver, his Saint Mary’s College of California sports scholarship required him to enroll in a creative writing class.
A sharp-eyed professor, who noticed his talent after he wrote about the time his father nearly bled to death, nudged him to pursue screenwriting. Fate stepped in, too.
Saint Mary’s canceled its football program in 2004, and the chemistry major transferred to California State University, Sacramento where he continued to play football. But he answered his higher calling taking as many film classes as he could.
Post College
Coogler graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree in finance in 2007, but he admitted he was deep “in love with filmmaking.”
He immediately began a three-year master’s program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts that same year. And the rest they say, is history.
Thanks to his organized sports background, his role on the field influenced his professional life. And because of that, those on-field experiences taught him leadership and the value of preparation that now applies to his filmmaking.
When Loved Called…
Around 13 or 14 years old, Coogler first met Zinzi Evans. Their first date included a stop at the movie theater to see “Bring it On” (2000), where they held hands and shared popcorn, Coogler recalled. (His grandparents’ first date was also the movies!) Coogler and Zinzi didn’t start dating until their undergraduate years at Saint Mary’s College.
The college sweethearts wed in 2016, and Coogler often credits Zinzi for playing a key role in his success after she “scrapped together some cheese and bought me Final Draft, which is the software that you write your movies on.” He called it the “kindest thing” anyone had ever given him.
Together, they’d have three children.
Early Work
His road to superstardom didn’t come easy. During his first semester at USC, he was reportedly living out of a car, but still managed to direct four short films—three of them either won or were nominated for various awards.
His work was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival, and was even nominated for Outstanding Independent Short Film at the Black Reel Awards.
First Feature Film
Drowning in $200,000 student loan debt from years worth of film school couldn’t stop Coogler from finding his way and making his mark.
After graduating, Coogler worked as a counselor with at-risk kids at a San Francisco Juvenile Detention Center while also developing the script for “Fruitvale Station,” which depicted Oscar Grant’s last 24 hours of life.
Coogler was initially rejected after applying to the Sundance Screenwriters Labs with an earlier project, but when he was invited to apply again with “Fruitvale Station,” he was accepted.
Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station” Success
Produced by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, the film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it took home both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize in the drama competition.
“What’s important to me is offering perspectives into worlds that people don’t often get to see… From angles they don’t often get to see,” he said. The film also earned Coogler a spot on the inaugural TIME magazine list, “30 Under 30 Changing the World.”
Why “Creed” Almost Didn’t Happen
Coogler pitched the concept for “Creed”—a film focusing on Apollo Creed’s son— but he first needed Sylvester Stallone’s blessing. Stallone was initially apprehensive about the idea of Rocky being seen as vulnerable because he was comfortable with Balboa’s “wonderful send-off” in 2006’s “Rocky Balboa.”
The director managed to convince Stallone— after two years— when he explained how his idea for the film was due to the parallels between his own father dealing with a serious neuromuscular condition and his hero, Rocky, also dealing with aging and illness.
In 2015, Coogler released “Creed,” his second film, and the sequel in 2018. “Creed III” was released in 2023.
Critical Acclaim
The breakout film was a success, earning critical acclaim from both critics and audiences and grossing over $173 million worldwide.
Coogler called “Creed” a “love letter to his father,” and Stallone credited Coogler for giving his character new dimension.
His History-Making Marvel Movie
Launching a new franchise universe, Coogler co-wrote and directed the Marvel film “Black Panther,” a vast difference from “Fruitvale Station” and “Creed.” The movie also made him the first African-American Marvel Studios director.
“Black Panther” grossed $1.3 billion worldwide and broke numerous box-office records, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by an African American.
The “Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Had to do in My Professional Life”
After Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, 2020, Coogler called his untimely passing “without question, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my professional life.”
While grieving and simultaneously re-writing “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” he wanted to honor Boseman’s legacy without recasting the role or using CGI. He was also tasked with leading a film “without a lead actor” to make a “film about a hero when we’d just lost ours.”
Why Feeling “Scared” Led Him to Make “Sinners”
“Sinners,” starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers, took the world by storm! But Coogler mentioned feeling “scared” that he would look up and still be knee-deep with existing franchises, so he felt it was time to so something original. He confessed how he treated “Sinners” as if it “was the last movie I get to make.”
The supernatural horror flick was also shot in Ultra Panavision 70 format and projected in IMAX 15/70mm, a large-format combination that hadn’t been done before.
Beyond the movie’s massive success, Coogler also negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. that includes a provision for full ownership reversion 25 years after the film’s release, granting him full control over future licensing, royalties, and sequels.
The Root 100
Coogler, who signed an exclusive five-year deal with Disney, which includes a Disney+ series set in Wakanda, the fictional nation from “Black Panther,” was named as one of The Root 100 honorees!
On Dec. 3, The Root will honor the pop culture phenomenon who flawlessly ushers “in conversations about Black art, cultural appropriation and Black horror in general. He shows no signs of stopping soon, with “Black Panther 3” on the way. And all eyes are set on the 2026 Oscars, where “Sinners” is expected to pick up multiple nominations at the very least.”
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