Ryan Coogler stunned the world last year with the release of the horror/crime epic Sinners, and while the movie has been lauded as an incredible piece of modern original filmmaking, it’s also noteworthy that the writer/director was not shy about sharing his inspirations – including From Dusk Till Dawn, Salem’s Lot, No Country For Old Men and The Thing. Along with his own sensibilities and ideas, he synthesized special elements from all of those titles in the making of his 2025 feature, and that leaves me extremely intrigued to hear his aspirations to tell a story within the romantic comedy space a la the Rob Reiner classic When Harry Met Sally.
Coogler spoke about this idea in a Deadline interview alongside Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo – all of whom are up for major awards at the upcoming Oscars ceremony. When the conversation turned to exploring spaces previously untouched in his experience, the filmmaker explained that he hopes to make a wide variety of movies in what he hopes is a very long career:
When it comes to genres that I haven’t done that I would like to do, the best answer I think is all of them. I got kids, so I’m hoping to be around for a long time, and I’m hoping to work for as long as I can.
With his first five movies, Ryan Coogler has gotten to make an intimate drama (Fruitvale Station), a sports movie (Creed), a pair of superhero blockbusters (Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and most recently the aforementioned horror/crime blend in Sinners. But he is a movie-lover who loves all kinds of movies, and he doesn’t want to limit himself as a storyteller.
As far as specifics, he cited his very real interest in making a romantic comedy, and he cited When Harry Met Sally as an influence on a big picture scale. In addition to being remembered for its humor and the wonderful chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, the film has staked a place in pop culture history for its examination of male-female friendships, and Coogler noted the immortality of its subject matter while paying tribute to the recently departed Rob Reiner:
There’s not a genre of movie that I don’t love. So, I hope to work on all of them. I’d like to make a soup-to-nuts. Rest in peace, Rob Reiner, you know what I mean, but When Harry Met Sally is one of my movies that I think about with him. And to me, that’s such a solid romantic comedy that feels adult in whole, and it has eternal relevance, you know?… I would love to make a rom-com that works like that one day.
We have seen romance in Ryan Coogler’s work – Michael B. Jordan forging memorable on-screen relationships with Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, and Tessa Thompson in Sinners and Creed – but comedy would be a mostly fresh arena for the filmmaker (excluding the moments of levity that are featured in all of his movies). That being said, recognizing the man’s extreme talent, I have zero doubt that the man could make a rom com that is equally sweet, meaningful and hilarious.
We’ll have to wait and see what ultimately develops on the rom-com front for Coogler, and it may be a minute: in addition to developing a third Black Panther movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is also now working on a X-Files reboot for Disney+/Hulu subscribers that just got a pilot order and is set to star Danielle Deadwyler.