Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American filmmaker. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award. Coogler directed a few short films at the USC School of Cinematic Arts before his feature-length debut with Fruitvale Station (2013). Then he transitioned to directing and writing franchise films such as the Rocky series spinoff, Creed (2015), as well as the Marvel films Black Panther (2018), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Coogler has also produced the historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) and wrote and directed the supernatural horror film Sinners (2025). These short films include Locks 2019 and Fig (2011). In 2013, he was included on Time's list of the 30 people under 30 who are changing the world. In 2018, Coogler was named the runner-up of Time's Person of the Year and he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2021, Coogler, his wife, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian founded multimedia production company Proximity Media.