Ryan Coogler is one of the most promising young filmmakers these days but that didn't stop a branch of Bank of America from suspecting him of being a bad guy. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director has just issued a statement about a recent incident where he was mistaken as a bank robber when he tried to withdraw some of his own money!
Variety reports that Ryan Coogler was detained by Atlanta police back in January after he was mistaken for a bank robber at a Bank of America. The 35-year-old Black Panther director was reportedly wearing a hat, sunglasses and a COVID face mask when he went to the counter to make a transaction.
Coogler's appearance was said to already arouse suspicions especially when handed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note. The note read, “I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.”
Although the teller was not suspicious at first, the amount triggered an alarm in the bank system so she informed her manager before they both called the police. In addition to Coogler, his two companions waiting in an SUV outside the bank were also detained.
Luckily, the issue was cleared up and Coogler was soon released. This situation should never have happened,” he said in a statement. “However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
Bank of America also issued a statement and apologized to the filmmaker. “We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler,” a spokesman said.
Ryan Coogler was in Atlanta to work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe film starring the late Chadwick Boseman. The movie is scheduled for release on November 11, 2022.
Related: Black Panther 2: Ryan Coogler Shares Difficulties of Working on MCU Sequel Without Chadwick Boseman
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