Fans have been speculating on who will direct Secret Wars after Marvel announced Destin Daniel Cretton will be leading Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The Cretton previously directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in the MCU. There have been reports that Marvel is considering Ryan Coogler, director of the Black Panther series, to helm the project. Coogler’s directorial debut in the MCU in Black Panther earned a whopping $1.34 billion at the box office and it became the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has come out to address the rumors of Coogler’s next project. According to Feige, the pair have not yet spoken about the director’s next project with Marvel. “Well, I would want Ryan to do anything at any time because he’s a singular talent and a great person to spend years with,” Feige reveals. “But no, in all honesty, there’ve been no conversations. We’ve not spoken to him about Secret Wars.” Kevin Feige has never hid his admiration for Coogler’s talent and humility. Coogler, for his part, has denied that he will be leading the Secret Wars project. “Bro, I ain’t heard nothing about that man, I’m trying to finish this one!” the director stated after being asked about the rumors. “I can tell you definitively I have no idea what I’m doing next as a writer and director,” Coogler admits in a separate interview with Variety. The director has repeatedly said that he will be focusing on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before setting his sights on the future. Coogler is reportedly also working on Ironheart and a Wakanda spinoff series for Disney+. “This movie got everything I have. I’m at that place where I think I’ve got this press tour in me and then I’ve got to sit down and reflect. Probably cry a lot, because I’ve been holding that back. And then from there, figure out whatever’s next,” Coogler shares. Fans have been lobbying for Coogler to direct the final Avengers movie for Phase 6 and his success as a director would surely come in handy for such an epic project. Marvel typically chooses a director with experience working in the MCU for its Avengers films. Michael Waldron, the screenwriter for Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has been tapped to work on the screenplay for Avengers: Secret Wars. The movie is set to premiere in May 2026.
