Talented young directors are always cropping up in the film industry, from the up-and-coming Steven Spielbergs and Martin Scorseses of the 1970s to the Jordan Peeles, Greta Gerwigs, and Roberts Eggers of the modern era.
Joining the latter group is none other than the prodigious filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who – in many ways – has yet to helm a bad movie in his short but prolific career.
The creative driving force behind such modern classics as Creed, Black Panther, and (more recently) Sinners, Coogler has quickly become one of the most exciting directors currently working in Hollywood today. With his latest project Sinners currently garnering widespread acclaim from critics and mass viewers alike, we thought we’d take a look back at Coogler’s impressive filmography so far, ranking each of the director’s movies in order from worst to best.
Walt Disney
After the late great Chadwick Boseman’s shocking death in 2020, many wondered whether Black Panther could continue without its lead actor in the central role. Two years later, however, Coogler oversaw the touching tribute to Boseman’s renowned superhero with 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A heartfelt dedication to Boseman’s tenure in the MCU, Wakanda Forever also introduces a new era in the African country’s history, allowing the series to continue on well into Marvel’s immediate future. Crafting heartfelt storylines around some of Black Panther’s foremost main characters, it also manages to shine further light on T’Challa’s rebellious little sister Shuri, whose reluctant acceptance of the Black Panther mantle forms a pivotal aspect of Wakanda Forever’s narrative.
Warner Bros.
Following the 2006 release of Rocky Balboa, audiences doubted that they would see another Rocky film ever again. Fortunately, in 2015, Coogler successfully introduced a spin-off entry into the series with his crowd-pleasing sports drama, Creed. Providing a sentimental love letter to Rocky’s underlying universe, Creed spends as much time as Sylvester Stallone’s aged “Italian Stallion” as it does on Michael B. Jordan’s aspiring boxer, Adonis Creed. Launching Coogler and Jordan to new heights in the larger film industry, it also cemented Creed as a series every bit as good – if not better – than many of the preceding Rocky films before it.
TWC
Coogler’s feature-length directorial debut, Fruitvale Station also illustrates the filmmaker’s unparalleled sensibilities as a storyteller from a remarkably early age. Establishing many of the core characteristics that came to be associated with his filmography, Fruitvale Station follows the last day in the life of Oscar Grant III, a young California resident shot to death by police on January 1, 2009. A harrowing study of Grant’s life and the impact his death had on police brutality cases in modern America, this 2013 biographical drama continues to emotionally resonate with every viewer fortunate enough to see it, regardless of individual politics or personal views on law and order.
Walt Disney
The moment he appeared on-screen in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, viewers crossed their fingers in the hopes of one day seeing an entire film dedicated to Chadwick Boseman’s industrious Wakandan warrior. Luckily, the finished product more than lived up to fans’ expectations, with many continuing to describe 2018’s Black Panther as one of the greatest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Expanding the borders of the MCU in new and thrilling ways, Black Panther serves as an unforgettable superhero epic the likes of which viewers have rarely seen before – and are unlikely to ever see again.
Warner Bros.
If Sinners proves anything, it’s that the long-dormant vampire genre still has a little bite left in it. Redefining the mythical creatures of the night for the modern day and age, Sinners ingeniously fuses together its numerous conflicting genres, paving the way to a historical music-centric horror epic that’s equal parts O Brother, Where Art Thou? as it is Dracula. Tense, alluring, and striking a fine balance between its musical motifs and frightening horror sequences, it’s quite possibly the best film of 2025 yet, bar none.
Joining the latter group is none other than the prodigious filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who – in many ways – has yet to helm a bad movie in his short but prolific career.
The creative driving force behind such modern classics as Creed, Black Panther, and (more recently) Sinners, Coogler has quickly become one of the most exciting directors currently working in Hollywood today. With his latest project Sinners currently garnering widespread acclaim from critics and mass viewers alike, we thought we’d take a look back at Coogler’s impressive filmography so far, ranking each of the director’s movies in order from worst to best.
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Walt Disney
After the late great Chadwick Boseman’s shocking death in 2020, many wondered whether Black Panther could continue without its lead actor in the central role. Two years later, however, Coogler oversaw the touching tribute to Boseman’s renowned superhero with 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A heartfelt dedication to Boseman’s tenure in the MCU, Wakanda Forever also introduces a new era in the African country’s history, allowing the series to continue on well into Marvel’s immediate future. Crafting heartfelt storylines around some of Black Panther’s foremost main characters, it also manages to shine further light on T’Challa’s rebellious little sister Shuri, whose reluctant acceptance of the Black Panther mantle forms a pivotal aspect of Wakanda Forever’s narrative.
4. Creed (2015)
Warner Bros.
Following the 2006 release of Rocky Balboa, audiences doubted that they would see another Rocky film ever again. Fortunately, in 2015, Coogler successfully introduced a spin-off entry into the series with his crowd-pleasing sports drama, Creed. Providing a sentimental love letter to Rocky’s underlying universe, Creed spends as much time as Sylvester Stallone’s aged “Italian Stallion” as it does on Michael B. Jordan’s aspiring boxer, Adonis Creed. Launching Coogler and Jordan to new heights in the larger film industry, it also cemented Creed as a series every bit as good – if not better – than many of the preceding Rocky films before it.
3. Fruitvale Station (2013)
TWC
Coogler’s feature-length directorial debut, Fruitvale Station also illustrates the filmmaker’s unparalleled sensibilities as a storyteller from a remarkably early age. Establishing many of the core characteristics that came to be associated with his filmography, Fruitvale Station follows the last day in the life of Oscar Grant III, a young California resident shot to death by police on January 1, 2009. A harrowing study of Grant’s life and the impact his death had on police brutality cases in modern America, this 2013 biographical drama continues to emotionally resonate with every viewer fortunate enough to see it, regardless of individual politics or personal views on law and order.
2. Black Panther (2018)
Walt Disney
The moment he appeared on-screen in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, viewers crossed their fingers in the hopes of one day seeing an entire film dedicated to Chadwick Boseman’s industrious Wakandan warrior. Luckily, the finished product more than lived up to fans’ expectations, with many continuing to describe 2018’s Black Panther as one of the greatest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Expanding the borders of the MCU in new and thrilling ways, Black Panther serves as an unforgettable superhero epic the likes of which viewers have rarely seen before – and are unlikely to ever see again.
1. Sinners (2025)
Warner Bros.
If Sinners proves anything, it’s that the long-dormant vampire genre still has a little bite left in it. Redefining the mythical creatures of the night for the modern day and age, Sinners ingeniously fuses together its numerous conflicting genres, paving the way to a historical music-centric horror epic that’s equal parts O Brother, Where Art Thou? as it is Dracula. Tense, alluring, and striking a fine balance between its musical motifs and frightening horror sequences, it’s quite possibly the best film of 2025 yet, bar none.