Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther, was mistaken for a bank robber and arrested after attempting to withdraw money from his bank account. After TMZ first reported the incident in January, Coogler confirmed it to Variety.
According to a police report obtained by TMZ, Coogler entered a bank in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is currently filming the Black Panther sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and handed the cashier a note that read: “I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account.” Please count the money somewhere else. “I’d prefer to remain unobtrusive.”
According to the report, the transaction triggered an alarm, and bank employees called the police. Coogler and two other people were detained and later released.
“This situation should never have happened,” Coogler told Variety. However, Bank of America worked with me and resolved the issue to my satisfaction, and we are now moving on.”
Prior to his 2018 global blockbuster Black Panther, Coogler directed Rocky spin-off Creed in 2015, starring Michael B Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, and his 2013 directorial debut Fruitvale Station, about a real-life police killing that also starred Jordan in the lead role.
