At this year’s Academy Awards, superstar director Ryan Coogler was nominated for Best Picture alongside both Shaka King and Charles King as producers for Judas and the Black Messiah. This nomination was a feat in itself and marked the first time in the history of the Oscars where the all-Black producing team was nominated for the celebration’s biggest category. Despite making history, Coogler best known for Black Panther and the Creed franchise has no plans to join the Academy.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Coogler, told the industry trade he declined an invitation to join the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Cooler revealed his love of films was actually a major part of his reasoning regarding his decision.
“I don’t buy into this versus that, or ‘this movie wasn’t good enough to make this list,’” Coogler said. “I love movies. For me, that’s good enough. If I’m going to be a part of organizations, they’re going to be labor unions, where we’re figuring out how to take care of each other’s families and health insurance. But I know that these things bring exposure.”
Coogler also declined the Academy invitation in 2016, after the critical and commercial success of Creed, which starred Michael B. Jordan. The prolific storyteller has a number of projects in the works as he gears up for Wrong Answer, also starring Jordan. He’s also directing Black Panther 2 and is developing a highly anticipated Wakanda Marvel Cinematic Universe series.
