RUMOR: Ryan Coogler May Pass On BLACK PANTHER 3 And X-MEN For AVENGERS 5; ARMOR WARS Could Be Scrapped

According to a new rumour, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler will like pick Avengers over X-Men, while the latest Armor Wars update suggests the long-delayed project could be circling the drain...

By JoshWilding - May 10, 2024 06:05 AM EST

Filed Under: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

Rumour has it Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler is being eyed to helm both Black Panther 3 and Marvel Studios' eventual X-Men reboot.

It's an exciting prospect given what a talent the filmmaker is, but one The DisInsider may have thrown cold water on. According to the site, Coogler is on a shortlist to helm both Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars.

While the post's author believes he'd likely direct only one of them, they also suggest the director could pass the reigns of Black Panther 3 to someone else to focus on Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Still, we'd bet on Marvel Studios wanting a single filmmaker for the next Avengers movies as, like Infinity War and Endgame, they could then be shot back-to-back (surely a necessity when they're being released only one year apart).

We'll see what happens, but Coogler directing Avengers 5 or Avengers: Secret Wars surely makes more sense than X-Men when the reboot doesn't even have a writer at this early stage.

Elsewhere in the report, it's said Mads Mikkelsen is a "no-go" to play Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four.

In other MCU news, scooper @MyTimeToShineH is claiming Marvel Studios has seriously considered scrapping its long-delayed Armor Wars movie. It started life as a Disney+ TV series, only to become a feature when they presumably figured out how ridiculously expensive the show would be.

As of now, Yassir Lester is penning Armor Wars' screenplay, with Don Cheadle confirmed to star as War Machine after we learned in Secret Invasion that he's seemingly been held captive by the Skrulls since Captain America: Civil War. Dominique Thorne is also expected to return as Riri Williams after starring in Ironheart, a series which wrapped production in 2022 but still has no release date.

Armor Wars is a cool idea, but is it necessary? That may be what Disney is weighing up after recent comments from the House of Mouse's CEO, Bob Iger.

"We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three," he said of plans for Marvel.

"[The MCU has] a couple of good films in [2025] and then we’re heading to more Avengers, which we’re extremely excited about. Overall, I feel great about the slate. It’s something that I’ve committed to spending more and more time on. The team is one that I have tremendous confidence in and the IP that we’re mining, including all the sequels that we’re doing, is second to none."

However, he'd described Marvel Studios' TV shows as "a vestige of basically a desire in the past to increase volume."

Stay tuned for updates.

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119 Comments

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FireandBlood - 5/10/2024, 6:15 AM

I’ll say it. Armor Wars isn’t necessary. They should’ve made a War Machine movie years ago, like a decade ago. That ship sailed and they [frick]ed up Rhodey’s arc for that shitty Secret Invasion show.

MadThanos - 5/10/2024, 6:21 AM

@FireandBlood - I agree but the premise is good, what happens to the Arc Reactor tech when Tony Stark is gone?

kg8817 - 5/10/2024, 7:10 AM

@MadThanos - That answer should’ve been the thesis of Ironheart’s show that they insisted on making.

Instead it’ll be about girl power and magic?

CorndogBurglar - 5/10/2024, 9:33 AM

@FireandBlood - I was just about to say this. Rhodie should have had a War Machine project s long time ago. And considering that Armor Wars was supposedly continuing the story arc from Secret Incvasion, I think it makes sense to just drop it. No one even bothered watching Secret Invasion and the people that did hated it. Why spend millions of dollars continuing that story arc?

Sucks for Cheadle though. He deserves better. War Machine was so cool in Iron Man 2, and then he got punked out in Iron Man 3, and he's just been a side character ever since.

MadThanos - 5/10/2024, 9:37 AM

@kg8817 - exactly.

Ironheart shouldn't exist in the first place. They wasted the budget on that instead of Armor Wars.

TheLobster - 5/10/2024, 10:05 AM

@FireandBlood - Facts

SpideyPuffsMJ - 5/10/2024, 12:00 PM

@FireandBlood - I still cannot believe Secret Invasion happened. Like the Skrulls came and went and we will never hear about them invading Earth again. Unreal decision by Marvel. I also can’t take Fury seriously anymore.

SolarSoldier - 5/10/2024, 12:37 PM

@FireandBlood - You'll say it as if it's a brave statement on this echo chamber. The same BS y'all say about Anthony Mackie is what y'all think about Donald Cheadle and Dominique Thorne. #notmyIronman 🙄

FireandBlood - 5/10/2024, 1:16 PM

@SolarSoldier - Yeah, you’ve definitely got the wrong one here, bro. I’m all for black Cap, and I feel no two ways about Riri tbh but I hope that works. Don’t confuse me with one of these losers that just don’t want to see any non-white heroes, that’s not me, trust that.

Scarilian - 5/11/2024, 5:23 AM

@FireandBlood -
Honestly, they should just streamline it. The quicker the multiverse saga is over, the better.

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 6:30 AM

What are they seeing with Coogler? Not geek enough, too much social commentary.

Joss Whedon or get buried in mediocrity.

TheMetaMan - 5/10/2024, 6:37 AM

@vectorsigma - Coogler alongside the Russo’s represents the best directorial minds to have committed to an MCU project. Overall his work is polished, refined, sound. Whedon is fine but AOU is a disappointment for me in terms of how ultron was handled. Avengers assemble is a great superhero film but it’s a little outdated now. I prefer the justice league SYNDER CUT!

FireandBlood - 5/10/2024, 6:41 AM

@vectorsigma - Joss Whedon hasn’t made a better movie than Ryan Coogler 😂

Mrtoke - 5/10/2024, 7:36 AM

@FireandBlood - literally, 2012's Avengers is better than the Black Panther films. They're good and all but better than the Avengers? To you I guess...

FireandBlood - 5/10/2024, 7:54 AM

@Mrtoke - To me and every other measurable critical metric, yeah. Looks like you’re in the minority on this one, sorry. 🤷‍♂️

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 8:17 AM

@FireandBlood - in an alternate reality where coogler directed avengers, we are not talking on this cbm site right now because the genre died there and then, or at least niche only

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 8:20 AM

@FireandBlood - look at other aspects like the actions sequences. The mere scene of vision flying to save wanda in aou trumps anything that coogler cooked up in his 2 films. Not geek enough, too much social commentary

And its not as if Whedon is not a great comicbook writer as well.

Cc @Mrtoke

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 8:22 AM

@TheMetaMan - whedon is fine? He basically catapulted the mcu that no other director right now can do and imitate (talent wise)

Radders - 5/10/2024, 8:37 AM

@FireandBlood - he's really not in a minority of one, just check the box office.

Avengers is a demonstrably better movie than Black Panther, from its writing, directing and effects to its utterly unique nature. Black Panther is mid at best, raised by Michael B Jordan's performance. Black Panther, as a character, was better in Civil War

FinnishDude - 5/10/2024, 8:40 AM

@vectorsigma - Heaven forbid a director involved with Black Panther and rumored for X-Men has social commentary in their works!

Mrtoke - 5/10/2024, 8:42 AM

@FireandBlood - I'm gonna base my response off of RT and the audience score for Avengers is higher than Black Panther. Movies are made for us, not critics. Critic reviews might influence on what we choose to see but at the end of the day, they don't really matter. Box office is not made on what critics say.

Mrtoke - 5/10/2024, 8:49 AM

@FireandBlood - But I do like Creed and Fruitvale Station a lot better than most of phase 5

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 8:57 AM

@FinnishDude - if i want too much social commentary, id watch 60 minutes.

And i said "too much social commentary", it is a movie for entertainment first and coogler forgot that with that horrendous cgi fight

cubrn - 5/10/2024, 9:27 AM

@vectorsigma - The Avengers is a great movie but Black Panther is the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and was a front runner at that.

TheMetaMan - 5/10/2024, 9:36 AM

@vectorsigma - “basically catapulted the MCU?” Hmmm are you sure homie? I disagree I think Jon Favurea takes that merit. After all he did make the very first MCU film (Ironman) with included the very first end credits stinger. I’d say he is responsible for catapulting the MCU into the stratosphere.
Whedon is akin to what James Cameron is to aliens. Cameron didn’t lay the foundation, Ridley did. Cameron just expanded and optimised the franchise, same with Whendon. He just expanded and optimised the MCU. Literally and figuratively.

CorndogBurglar - 5/10/2024, 9:40 AM

@cubrn - And yet there were other superhero movies that should have been nominated at the Oscar's for Best Picture long before Black Panther came along. The Dark Knight comes to mind. You know, the movie that is still to the day considered the greatest superhero movie of all time to a lot of people?

Captain America 2 was also much better than Black Panther and didn't get nominated.

So, I wonder of there could be some other reason that Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars? I don't remember what other movies there were that year to compete with, so maybe it was a lack of quality films that year? Maybe the fact that Black Panther was an all black team had something to do with it? I don't know, but saying it's the only superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture doesn't prove anything, because I don't think anyone thinks it's the best superhero movie of all time.

Slotherin - 5/10/2024, 9:43 AM

@vectorsigma - Black Panther has always had a level of social commentary. It's not mutually exclusive from geekiness to embrace that.

Also gotta disagree... that Namor intro and attack on Wakanda were mint

Slotherin - 5/10/2024, 9:46 AM

@CorndogBurglar - the fact it was propped as a black milestone or event definitely factored into things.

Ryguy88 - 5/10/2024, 9:57 AM

@vectorsigma - Black Panther 1 was good but the action scenes were trash.

Ryguy88 - 5/10/2024, 10:02 AM

@CorndogBurglar - that @cubrn guy is a lost cause, he thinks it's a prerequisite to be black, or gay or tranny to be able to relate to any xmen characters.

krayzeman - 5/10/2024, 10:05 AM

@vectorsigma - You keep saying "too much social commentary" on movies he's done where that's pretty much their premise. And social commentary is not even a bad thing but that doesnt mean he's not a good director . He's capable of directing a big cast and the movies he has made have been super solid. The premise of the Avengers movies wont be social commentary so its a bit disingenuous to box him in to only being that. He's the best rumored director that's been bantied about so unless the Russo Bros are coming back I'd go with him.

marvel72 - 5/10/2024, 10:18 AM

@cubrn - You make me laugh,users on this site claim that the Oscars don't matter but Black Panther gets nominated and the Oscars suddenly matter.

There is better comic book movies that came before and after Black Panther that should have been nominated.

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 10:30 AM

@cubrn - it wasnt nominated for being a great movie. It was nominated due to hollywood's DEI agenda. The Academy is made up of hypocrites. The MCU was at its high and it checks the representation box that they can use to be relevant

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 10:34 AM

@TheMetaMan - Favreau failed on IM2. Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America were mid. Favreau only started it but it was fox men levels of success.

Whedon broke the barrier and catapulted the mcu to where ut was until end game.

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 10:39 AM

@Slotherin - compare that namor attack with the Hukbuster vs ironman scene.

All im saying is Whedon is a more credible director to handle xmen or another avengers movie. Coogler has other strengths and can stick with BP.

And id dread a day when disney decides to have coogler to handle these big titles

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 10:40 AM

@Ryguy88 - someone even posted how it resembled some xmen scenes which was new to me. He has other strengths and these big titles are not for it

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 10:43 AM

@krayzeman - his strengths doesnt fit these big titles imo. I am not saying he is a bad director. Just not a fit.

Its like having Scorsese direct lotr

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 10:43 AM

@marvel72 - spot on.

EgoEgor - 5/10/2024, 11:48 AM

@vectorsigma - "Not geek enough, too much social commentary" ... as if being geek means you know how to tell a good story and get good performance, what an ignorant comment. Joss Whedon Avengers 1 film passes on being the first but it's an average film.

I don't even count BP2 as tragedy pretty much high cuffed him immensely.

I want a director who KNOWS how to tell a story; Ryan Coogler is that guy. Creed is an amazing film, Fruitvale Station is so well done(especially as a debut). But no, let's get a guy who can fell the frames with Easter eggs

vectorsigma - 5/10/2024, 12:22 PM

@EgoEgor - to say that Joss whedon doesnt know how to tell a story and Avengers 1 average is the one that is ignorant. 😂

I am not even saying that to Coogler. Im just saying his strengths are not fit for these big films.

We want a balance of story and action. If you want that kind of cgi mess from BP, then sure, whatever works for you. 😂

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