'Creed' Director Ryan Coogler Declines to Accept Academy Invitation
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Ryan Coogler (Photoillustration: The Hollywood Reporter)
By Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter
He has yet to send in his acceptance letter, and sources tell THR he’s not interested in becoming a member.
In June, the Academy announced it had invited 683 new members — among them Nate Parker, Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba, America Ferrera, Regina King and Cary Fukunaga — to join the Oscars- granting organization.
It was a record number designed to help diversify the membership after the Academy faced harsh criticism in the wake of 2015’s #OscarsSoWhite.
But now it looks like at least one of those invitees isn’t jumping at the chance to join. Filmmaker Ryan Coogler, whose 2015 film Creed many thought was overlooked despite a nomination for supporting actor Sylvester Stallone, has yet to send in his acceptance letter, and sources tell THR he’s not interested in joining.
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However, his refusal to join may not be related to any protest or stance on diversity in the industry as some sources hint that, like Woody Allen and Sean Penn, Coogler is an artist uninterested in judging other people’s art.
Coogler’s next project is his Marvel Studios’ directorial effort Black Panther. His reps declined comment.
A version of this story first appeared in the Sept. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
