The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Coogler to join its ranks in 2016.

Ryan Coogler says rejecting Academy invite after Oscar snubs was not ‘out of animosity’

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Coogler to join its ranks in 2016.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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December 10, 2025 5:07 p.m. ET

Ryan Coogler attends 'Sinners' New York premiere on April 3, 2025. Credit:

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

It's been almost a decade since Ryan Coogler rejected his invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the acclaimed director is now explaining that his rejection had nothing to do with any previous snubs or bitterness.

"It's not out of animosity," Coogler said when asked about the decision in a new interview with *The New York Times*. The director added that his commitments to directorial projects, unions, and his film school stretches him thin. "And I'm not good at judging things, bro. The act of 'Hey, pick the best thing' is very stressful for me, even when there's no stakes involved."

Coogler, who is notably absent from social media platforms and isn't often seen outside of official Hollywood events tied to his work, admitted that the glam of awards season and the industry is less interesting to him than the everyday elements of his career.

Director Ryan Coogler on set of 'Sinners' with Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton.

Eli Adé/Warner Bros.

"People see the tuxedo, they see the red carpet, but it's real blue-collar folks making these movies happen," Coogler said. "Most days, I'm wearing coveralls and Columbia gear, trying to find solutions that aggregate up to a story. And that enabled me not to engage with any narratives around what it is that we do."

The Academy invited Coogler to join its ranks in 2016, the year after Coogler directed the Michael B. Jordan-led hit *Creed*.

Sylvester Stallone earned the film's sole Oscar nomination for his role in the movie, leaving Coogler, Jordan, and costar Tessa Thompson out of the best picture, director, and actors races. After the Academy entirely ignored Coogler's industry breakthrough *Fruitvale Station*, some might have seen his invite rejection as a response.

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Even when Coogler's Marvel blockbusters *Black Panther* and *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* picked up several Oscar nominations, the former becoming the first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture, he was left out of the Best Director race.

Now, Coogler is back in the conversation thanks to his and Jordan's fifth collaboration, *Sinners*. The genre-fluid thriller is widely considered to be a frontrunner to land a Best Picture nomination and several other noms, including earning Coogler his first Oscar nomination for Best Director.

'Sinners' cast with director Ryan Coogler, executive producers Rebecca Cho, Serena McKinney, and Ludwig Goransson.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty

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But Coogler isn't getting caught up in the possible accolades. He's more concerned with what is coming next.

Along with a third follow-up to his superhero saga expected to be released in 2028, he shared with NYT that he's excited about projects he will produce with his production company Proximity Media, including the highly anticipated revival of *The X-Files*.

"The image I get is a green meadow with Bay Area fog on it, and it's dawn. That's what I see after that movie, because it feels like open land, open opportunity," Coogler said. "We'll see what comes. After that meadow."

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Source: “EW Movie”