Ryan Coogler Page 2

Sylvester Stallone has admitted he considered boycotting this year’s Academy Awards because of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. The Creed star is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, but his co-star Michael B. Jordan and the film’s director Ryan Coogler both missed out on nominations.

Sylvester Stallone with Michael B. Jordan in Creed.

“Certainly, there is a universal law of existence. You either adapt or cease to exist. Adaptation and evolving were definitely necessary,” Stallone said when asked about the Academy’s new measures to diversify their membership (via Entertainment Weekly).

Continue reading: Sylvester Stallone Admits He Considered Oscars Boycott

Rocky Balboa first appeared on-screen in 1976. This year's Creed was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who at 29 says that Rocky has been part of life as long as he can remember. "This franchise is something that was in my bones," he says. "Before I knew what a movie was I knew Rocky. I knew Rocky's story made my dad cry, and he was the toughest, strongest dude I knew. Our generation is crazy because we grew up with all this pop culture. Like, Star Wars isn't a movie to us. It's something else."

Meeting his idol was unforgettable, especially when he began telling him stories about making the previous six movies. "Sly would become so animated," Coogler says. "He'd pretend to be this person or that person. I thought, this dude is an off-the-charts actor! I felt a little bit like a coach gets when he sees a greatly talented player. I'm a Rocky fan, but this dude's talent level reminded me of spending time with Mike," he added, referring to actor Michael B. Jordan, with whom he also made his first acclaimed feature Fruitvale Station.

Continue reading: Creed Was A Passion Project For Ryan Coogler

New information regarding the upcoming 'Black Panther' movie has now come to light, with Ryan Coogler now confirmed to direct the 2018 Marvel flick. It's a coveted honour to be chosen to helm a superhero movie but, after 'Creed', he definitely deserves it.

Ryan Coogler to direct 'Black Panther'

The movie might be a long way off yet, but we do see the character make his first appearance in the soon to be released 'Captain America: Civil War'. Played by Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther - aka T'Challa - will join the cast as an ally to Iron Man, when the Avengers find themselves divided in their quest for ultimate peace. It's not entirely clear what role he will play in this 'Civil War' plot, but it has been suggested that his agenda isn't entirely aligned with Iron Man or Captain America.

Continue reading: Ryan Coogler Joins Marvel Franchise At The Helm Of 'Black Panther'

Fresh from his split-decision win over Nathan Cleverly, Liverpool boxer Tony Bellew has announced he is to appear in Ryan Coogler's Rocky spin-off movie, Creed. Bellew will join champion boxer Andre Ward and The Wire star Michael B. Jordan in the movie that focuses on the grandson of Apollo Creed.

Ryan Coogler will direct the Rocky spin-off movie, Creed

Coogler, who directed the acclaimed Fruitvale Station, will get behind the camera, while Sylvester Stallone returns as Rocky Balboa who mentors Jordan's character. The movie is likely to begin production in January with shoots set for Las Vegas and Philadelphia.

Continue reading: Tony Bellew To Appear In Coogler's 'Rocky' Spin-Off Movie 'Creed'

The Sundance Film Festival is the place to be for young, aspiring filmmakers hoping to crack into the hotly-contested business of the movies. By the end of the film festival, which this year runs from 16-26 January, there are always a selection of film titles that are revived for the following awards season, and this year people are so eager for the celluloid showcase that a number of early contenders for festival glory have been marked before their debut release.

The dark God's Pocket stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Eddie Marsan

In thirty years the film has discovered some of the most promising filmmakers out there and continues to deliver, from Roland Joffé’s The Killing Fields in the festival's opening year (1985) to last year's most notable success; Fruitvale Station, the debut feature length from Ryan Coogler. With another 120 films to get through this year it seems more than likely that at least one of the releases will be leaving Park City, Utah, with more than a few skiing lessons and a commemorative t-shirt.

Continue reading: Early 'Sundance' Favourites Already Generating A Buzz For Upcoming Movies

The members of The Producer's Guild of America have cast their vote and the list of nominee's for their annual Daryl F. Zanuck Awards - their Best Picture category - have been cast. Formerly known as the Golden Laurel Awards, the PGA's are usually pretty accurate at predicting which films will go on to be nominated in the Best Picture category at the Oscars, and their winners rarely differ too.

Chiwetel Ejiofor's powerful performance in Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave has made it a favourite for the top honour

American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks, 12 Years a Slave, and The Wolf of Wall Street make up the full list of nominees up for awards this year, so don't be surprised to see these films still being discussed vigorously until the beginning of March.

Continue reading: The Producers Guild Of America Nominate '12 Years A Slave,' 'Her,' 'Blue Jasmine' And More For Daryl F. Zanuck Award

10. Behind The Candelabra - Sadly consigned to TV in America, this Liberace biopic's lavish production design deserves to be projected on the biggest screen possible. As do great performances from Michael Douglas, Matt Damon and a hilarious Rob Lowe.
Read our 'Behind The Candelabra' Review
Watch 'Behind The Candelabra' Trailer

Continue reading: 10 Best Films Of 2013

First Lady Michelle Obama presented a filmmakers workshop at the White House on Friday, 8 November, to promote careers in the entertainment industry to a group of high school students. Obama enlisted the help of Harvey Weinstein, Whoopi Goldberg, Ryan Coogler, Bruce Cohen, Blake Lively and a myriad of other Hollywood stars as part of an a-list forum aimed at encouraging kids to look towards the film and TV industry as a possible career path.

The all-star panel capped off a day of activities for high schools students gathered from Boston, Washington, D.C. and New York meeting in the capital. The First Lady aims to promote careers in the entertainment industry outside of acting and directing, as well as hopefully inspiring a generation of future Oscar winners.

"It just doesn’t take technical knowledge to succeed in the movie business. It is not just about being the best actor, or creating the best special effects,” the First Lady said (via The Warp). “It is about having grit.”

Continue reading: Michelle Obama Fronts Filmmakers Workshop At White House As She Promotes Careers In Hollywood

The weekend box office kicks off to a predictable start this week, with a predicted $65 million opening for The Wolverine and a host of other solid flicks trailing slightly behind.

The weekend box office appears to be in Hugh Jackman's capable hands.

After a complete turnaround in reviews, the James Mangold-directed chapter of the X-Men story is quickly shaping up to be one of the most profitable releases of the season – nowhere near Iron Man 3, of course, but that’s one benchmark that won’t be reached for a while, it would seem.

Continue reading: Wolverine Set To Top A Steady Weekend Box Office

It seems that for the past seven years, the Rocky franchise has been down, but not out. Now its revival has been handed over to the more than capable team of director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. The two are fresh off their enourmous success with Fruitvale Station, which was featured in the Sundance Film Festival and earned the duo the Grand Jury Prize, as well as the Audience Award. It may have been that same success, which earned the duo their current gig.

Sly will reprise his best role - again.

The team are reportedly in talks for a film, entitled Creed – that is, the story of Apolo Creed’s grandson, who wants to get into boxing. The younger Creed has no need to take on the challenge – his family is living comfortably on his grandfather’s earnings, but the young Creed is on a mission to prove himself and his talent. Aiding him on this mission is his coach, Rocky Balboa. That’s right, not only will Sly Stallone be returning to his most infamous role, but Rocky will be helping the grandson of his main opponent. How’s that for a plot twist?

Continue reading: Rocky Is Back For Another Round In Upcoming "Creed"

The Wire actor Michael B. Jordan is in talks to play Apollo Creed's grandson in MGM's Rocky spin-off, directed by Fruitvale Station filmmaker Ryan Coogler. The pair worked together on the recent Sundance winning movie about the final hours of Oscar Grant's life, and the studio are keen to keep a winning team.

The movie would be a continuation of the Rocky saga, with Sylvester Stallone reprising his role as Rocky Balboa - this time a retired fighter turned trainer. 

Coogler - whose new movie won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance - fully intends Creed to be his follow-up to Fruitvale. According to Deadline, he wants things to movie quickly and getting Michael B. Jordan to sign on the dotted line is his priority.

Continue reading: 'The Wire' Star To Play Apollo Creed's Grandson In Rocky Spin-Off

The Weinstein Company's hard-hitting drama Fruitvale Station starring The Wire's Michael B. Jordan has seen its odds slashed to just 14/1 to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2014. After slew of positive reviews and a box office taking of almost $54,000 per screen on a limited release, Ryan Coogler's retelling of the shooting of Oscar Grant on New Year's Day in creating massive buzz.

The movie won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, with Sundance jury member Tom Rothman telling Coogler, "This will not be the last time you guys walk to a podium," according to the Los Angeles Times.

It's likely that Fruitvale Station will collect more honors as the year goes on, though can it maintain the momentum until next February and peep its head above Oscar bait movies The Wolf of Wall Street, August: Osage County, The Monuments Men, Captain Phillips and American Hustle? That's not to mention the likes of Nebraska, Inside Llewyn Davis, Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, The Counselor, Out Of The Furnace, Fox Catcher and the excellent Before Midnight.  It's a huge ask and one that this writer believes may well be out of reach.

Continue reading: Can Superb 'Fruitvale Station' Maintain Momentum Until Oscar Season?

Fruitvale Station is released on Friday 12th July. The movie follows 22-year-old Oscar as he encountered acquaintances around San Francisco Bay on New Year's Eve 2008. His day ended in tragedy when he was accidentally shot by police officers. The film has been widely praised by critics.

Michael B. Jordan at a screening of Fruitvale Station, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The film is based on the true story of Oscar Grant III who was shot by police officers at a railway station in Oakland, California. Grant was restrained by police officers who believed him to be armed; the death caused controversy throughout the US.His death appears to be accidental with Police Officer Mehserle using his gun instead of his Taser.

Continue reading: Critics Say Ryan Coogler's Debut 'Fruitvale Station' Is "Magnificent"

Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station is emerging as one of the leading movies of the year.

Based on a true story, it stars The Wire's Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant - the 22-year-old Bay Area resident who was shot dead by BART officers on New Year's Day.

Coogler's direction appears slick and well-constructed, Jordan and co-stars Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz put in natural performances, though it's the story that takes centre stage here.

Continue reading: Why The Weinstein's 'Fruitvale Station' Might Be The Finest Movie Of 2013