It’s fair to say that Ryan Coogler has more than carved out his path as a filmmaker within the Hollywood landscape. While the 39-year-old filmmaker only has five films under his belt, the titles that make up his filmography – like Black Panther and Sinners – have left indelible marks on pop culture. Despite his immense success, though, Coogler is always eager to give credit to others for how they’ve helped him. Among those to lend a hand has been Christopher Nolan, who bestowed some truly sweet advice upon Coogler.
During a segment on Criterion’s “Closet Picks,” Coogler affectionately referred to Nolan as a “mentor,” and he hasn’t held back about discussing the Oppenheimer helmer’s impact on his life and career. Coogler’s relationship with Nolan came up again when he participated in a panel with co-producer Sev Ohanian at Bloomberg Screentime (shared on YouTube). When asked about words of wisdom he’d received from Nolan, Coogler didn’t mention lenses or other technical details. Instead, he discussed something a bit more personal:
He gave me a lot of advice I wouldn’t repeat here. [Laughs] I think the biggest thing is just leading by example. Zinzi and I get to spend a lot of time with [Chris] and [his wife] Emma [Thomas]... It’s just a great example of how to work with the smartest person in your life, a lot of times, you’re fortunate enough to be married to that person and how to build a family while at the same time, finding a way to give to cinema and give to the business. So all of his advice on that, just kind of making a life for yourself.
Christopher Nolan has been working with his wife, Emma Thomas – his producing partner – for years now, and they’ve seemingly built a strong working dynamic on top of their marital relationship. Likewise, the past few years have seen spouses Ryan and Zinzi Coogler working alongside each other under their Proximity Media banner. It’s been lovely to see the Cooglers work together, and I’m glad Ryan took that sweet piece of advice to bring his wife into the fold business-wise – and those two have a lot to be proud of as of late.
The Cooglers co-produced Ryan’s critically acclaimed vampire drama, Sinners, which has been much-discussed since it was released in April 2025. As of late, both Zinzi and Ryan have been promoting the movie amid awards season, and it has picked up quite a few honors. Most notably, the movie leads the 2026 Oscar nominees with a record-breaking 16 nominations. That’s a tremendous accomplishment, though I find it even sweeter given that it was partially due to the efforts of a skilled power couple.
Of course, now, I’m particularly excited to see what the Cooglers do next. It’s public knowledge at this point that a third Black Panther movie is on the way, so I expect they’ll work closely on that. Ryan also recently shared his desire to make a romantic comedy, and I’d be so down for that. Whatever happens, though, I’m just hopeful that the Cooglers will continue to collaborate on films like good friends Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas.
Check out the fruit of the Cooglers’ labor, Sinners, now by streaming it with an HBO Max subscription. Also, to see if the film brings homes the gold, watch the 2026 Oscars tonight at 7 p.m. ET on ABC (or stream it live with a Hulu subscription).
