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Joe Robert Cole
Joe Robert Cole
Born	January 1, 1980 (age 44); San Francisco, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley
Occupations	Film director; screenwriter; film editor; television writer; television producer; actor;
Years active	2011–present
Known for	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story; Black Panther

Joe Robert Cole (born January 1, 1980) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his Emmy Award-nominated and Writers Guild of America Award-winning work on the first season of the true crime anthology television series American Crime Story, titled The People v. O. J. Simpson, and for co-writing the film Black Panther and its sequel, Wakanda Forever.

Early life

Cole, an only child, moved around a lot growing up, which he felt "prepared" him to be a writer, a desire he only discovered during college. He soon applied to the University of California, Berkeley.^[1]

Career

During his tenure at the university, Cole entered the film business, working as a writer on the 2006 film ATL, although not receiving a credit.^[1] In 2011, he released his first feature film as a director and writer, Amber Lake.

Marvel Studios' program

After writing a "Chinatown-style cop script", Cole was invited to a meeting with Marvel Studios, where he was told that they had plans of doing a movie about the character War Machine. He pitched a story and was chosen to write the film, but, according to him, "they decided, based on what Iron Man 3 was going to be, they weren't going to do War Machine anymore." Marvel subsequently invited him to join its writers program.^[2]

In regards to the program, Cole said:

The way it works—and I'm only speaking for myself here—is they give you an office and a character. You read all the comics with that character, then you come up with a story you see for that character. You present it, get notes and if everything moves along, you're greenlit to write the script.^[2]

In 2014, Cole wrote a script for a projected movie about the Inhumans.^[3]

Television

In 2016, the television series American Crime Story was released. Cole served as co-producer of the first season, The People v. O. J. Simpson, and wrote two episodes, "The Race Card" (for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special) and "A Jury in Jail".

Black Panther

While working on The People v. O. J. Simpson, Cole was approached by Marvel Studios' producer Nate Moore, wanting to know if he was willing to write a film about Black Panther. He immediately accepted. Cole was part of a competition, but was ultimately chosen to write the screenplay with director Ryan Coogler.^[2]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Notes
2011	Amber Lake	Yes	Yes	Also editor
2018	Black Panther	No	Yes
2020	All Day and a Night	Yes	Yes
2022	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	No	Yes
—	Untitled Snoop Dogg biopic film	No	Yes	In-development

Acting role

White Dwarf (2014) (As Joe)

Television

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer	Notes
2016	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	No	Yes	Yes	Wrote episodes "The Race Card" and "A Jury in Jail"
2023	Class of '09	Yes	Executive	No	3 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Title	Award/Nomination
2016	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Black Reel Award for Outstanding Screenplay in a TV Movie or Limited Series ("The Race Card") Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Long Form – Adapted Nominated–Black Reel Award for Outstanding Screenplay in a TV Movie or Limited Series ("A Jury in Jail") Nominated–Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series ("The Race Card") Nominated–Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special ("The Race Card")