Ryan Coogler
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Sinners, a new film from director Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan in a lead role, was released to the wider public this week, and the early returns are in. On X, many are praising Coogler and Jordan for delivering a wild, western movie-inspired vampire romp.
Sinners takes place in the 1930s in the Southern United States and features Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore. Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Buddy Guy, Saul Williams, and Omar Benson Miller also star in the film.
The plot follows the Moore brothers as they return home to Mississippi after living in Chicago, attempting to change their former ways. The brothers, realizing the North was just as racist as the South, steal money from some Chicago gangsters and head back home to open up a juke joint. However, arriving back home, they encounter a growing evil in the form of vampires in their hometown.
Jordan has received kudos for pulling double duty as Smoke and Stack. The film also touches on some of the racial tension of the times with Hailee Steinfeld playing the role of Stack’s love interest, Mary, who is passing for a white woman despite being part Black. Also, there is heavy emphasis on music in the film, in particular the Blues, and how it plays into the overall narrative is cleverly done.
On X, fans, including LeBron James and LeVar Burton, are saying that Sinners delivers the big-screen thrills, stating that Ryan Coogler has yet again delivered some movie magic. Of course, there are requisite criticisms, and we’ll try to share comments from all sides below.
Sinners is in theaters now. Learn more here.
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Photo: Sony Classical / Sony Masterworks / Sinners Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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Sony Classical / Sony Masterworks / Sinners
One thing you can always count on with a Ryan Coogler film is a fire soundtrack, and it looks like that streak will continue with the official soundtrack for his upcoming vampire flick, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan.
While the blood will be spilling, the toes will be tapping. The highly anticipated horror flick’s official soundtrack will feature some big names while sticking to the film’s core theme.
Coogler loves to collaborate with those he is familiar with, which is why he and Michael B. Jordan have become one of Hollywood’s most successful duos. So it should come as no surprise that he is working once again with Ludwig Görranson.
Ludwig Görranson has provided exceptional soundtracks for Coogler’s other successful movie franchises like Creed and Black Panther, so it’s not a stretch of any kind to think that won’t be the case for Sinners.
Ludwig Görranson Reveals Working On Sinners‘ Score & Soundtrack Was Personal To Him
Coogler’s vampire movie takes place in the Jim Crow era South, so you can expect Görranson’s production to reflect that in the songs on the soundtrack, which he revealed working on was very personal to him.
“I never imagined I’d score a film about a guitar player — it hits close to home,” said Göransson. “My dad, a guitar teacher at the local school and a die-hard blues fanatic, put a guitar in my hands when I was six. If it were up to him, I’d be named Albert for Albert King, the legendary guitarist. The ore I composed for Sinners is the most personal of my career. It’s reflection of my own musical journey, told through the voice of the instrument that means the most to me. I per orm it on a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator—the very same guitar that Preacherboy Sammie carries throughout the film.”
The soundtrack features songs from Rod Wave, James Blake, Don Toliver, Brittany Howard, Raphael Saadiq, Buddy Guy, Rhiannon Giddens, Cedric Burnside, Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Jerry Cantrell, Lola Kirke, Peter Dreams, Bobby Rush, OG DAYV, Jack O’Connell, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and more.
You can listen to “Why You Here / Before the Sun Went Down,” the score’s lead single featuring Miles Caton, who also stars in the film above, and check out the entire tracklist from the soundtrack and its lead single, “Sinners,” from Rod Wave below.
This Little Light of Mine – Miles Caton, DC6 Singers Collective, and Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans
Flames of Fortune – Ludwig Göransson and Don Toliver
Wang Dang Doodle – Cedric Burnside, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and Tierinii Jackson
Travelin’ – Miles Caton
Juke – Bobby Rush and Miles Caton
Séance – James Blake and Ludwig Göransson
coming soon
I Lied To You – Miles Caton
Pick Poor Robin Clean – Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreams
Can’t Win for Losin’ – Cedric Burnside and Tierinii Jackson
Old Corn Liquor – Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson
Will Ye Go, Lassie Go? – Lola Kirke, Peter Dreams, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden and Jack O’Connell
Pale, Pale Moon – Jayme Lawson
Rocky Road to Dublin – Jack O’Connell, Brian Dunphy and Darren Holden
In Moonlight – Jerry Cantrell and Ludwig Göransson
Travelin’ – Buddy Guy
Last Time (I Seen the Sun) – Alice Smith and Miles Caton
Sinners – Rod Wave
Troubled Waters – OG DAYV and Uncle James
Pale, Pale Moon – Brittany Howard
I Lied To You (Radio Edit) – Miles Caton
Pick Poor Robin Clean – Geechie Wiley
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Source: Courtesy / Warner Bros. Pictures
It may be a few years before we get to visit Ryan Coogler’s Wakanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe again, but we can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us when it comes to the supernatural South during the Jim Crow-era in America.
On Tuesday (Jan. 28), Warner Bros. released their latest trailer for Coogler’s upcoming film Sinners, which stars Michael B. Jordan (twice) as he takes on the tole of twin brothers who venture home to the South only to find that racism has taken on a new and terrifying form. Yup, white racist vampires. Makes sense if you think about it but that’s neither here nor there.
Looking to live their best lives, the white vampires look to ruin the happiness and peace that the twin brothers are looking to establish in their home but find quite a resistance as the good people of the small town aren’t going to take to blood-sucking colonizers too lightly.
While we can only imagine the kind of undead snow bunnies these vampires will use to tempt the good men of this community (Dr. Umar would be safe under those circumstances), we can’t wait to see how Killmonger goes about protecting his people and their home. Best believe heads will roll.
Check out the trailer for Sinners below and let us know if you’ll be checking for it when it hits theaters on April 18.
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Denzel Washington has enjoyed a storied career that transfers seamlessly between the big screen and the stage, and he appears to be looking toward the sunset. In a recent interview, Denzel Washington says that director Ryan Coogler is writing him a part for Black Panther 3 and has a clear idea of how he wants to head into his impending retirement from acting.
Denzel Washington, 69, sat down with the Australian show TODAY in support of the upcoming Gladiator II film starring the veteran actor and was joined on the program by costars Pedro Pascal and Connie Neilsen.
The chat opened up with the cast members praising Gladiator film series director Ridley Scott on creating a lavish set that called back to the mighty days of the Roman Empire.
When the conversation turned to delivering a sequel to the beloved original Gladiator film, Washington was asked if he felt any type of pressure in stepping into the massive franchise. In his typically cool fashion, Washington says he embraces this phase of his career especially as he eyes an end to appearing onscreen.
“For me it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best,” Washington shared. “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. It’s probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”
After stating that bombshell, Washington delivered another toward the end of the junket conversation.
“I played Othello at 22. I am about to play Othello at 70,” Washington added. “After that, I am playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking to Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’ After that, I’m going to do the film ‘Othello.’ After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire.”
The news of Denzel Washington having a role in the upcoming Black Panther sequel had folks expressing excitement on the X social media platform. We’ve got reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
12. There is always one.
Ryan Coogler is working on a jukebox movie musical based on the music of Prince. The Black Panther director is set to produce the untitled project of the late musical icon’s songs for Universal Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which has been in the works since 2018, has a script by Bryan […]
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Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty / Ryan Coogler / Michael B. Jordan
The dynamic Hollywood duo Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s next film has found a home.
Warner Bros. beat out Universal and Sony for the rights to Ryan Coogler’s next project starring his longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan.
Variety broke the news about the bidding war for the untitled project, which will mark the fifth film that Coogler and Jordan have worked together on.
The details around the film are a secret, but according to reports, it will be a vampire film that will allegedly take place during the Jim Crow era and have anime vibes.
For those that don’t know, Michael B. Jordan is a massive fan of anime, and if you saw Creed III, the boxing film’s scenes featuring Jordan and Jonathan Majors are full of homages to his favorite anime shows.
A report from The Hollywood Reporter details the great lengths Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan went to keep their movie a secret.
“Deta” ls are being kept hush-hush, but according to sources, the project has been described as a period thriller (some have said it takes place in the Jim Crow-era South) involving the undead. Some sources have said it also contains anime influences — Jordan is known to be a massive fan — but it is unclear how those influences are weaved into the project.”
Coogler and Jordan are becoming the black Scorsese and DiCaprio.
Jordan starred in Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed film debut, Fruitvale Station, before starring in other films directed by Coogler, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Creed.
Coogler will reportedly begin production on the secret film this summer.
We can’t wait to see what this film is all about.
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The X-Files remains one of the most influential television shows of its time and helped kickstart a new brand of storytelling on the small screen. This year, the mysterious sci-fi program will celebrate its 30th anniversary and the show’s creator says that Ryan Coogler is developing a reboot.
As spotted over at Deadline, Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, sat down with the Canadian podcast On The Coast with Gloria Macarenko. The chat opened up with Carter explaining that the show was shot in Vancouver, which was the site of filming for the first five seasons of The X-Files before moving its production to Los Angeles. The show then returned to British Columbia for its tenth and eleventh seasons.
Coogler, best known for his work on the Creed and Black Panther films, is one of the most exciting filmmakers in Hollywood at the moment. Carter briefly shared with Macarenko that Coogler is working on a reboot of the popular franchise.
“I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast,” Carter said. “So, he’s got his work cut out for him because we covered so much territory.”
The original The X-Files headliners were David Duchovny, who played Fox “Spooky” Mulder, and Gillian Anderson, who played Dana Scully. It will be interesting to see how Coogler will cast those iconic roles in the latest iteration of the series.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: VALERIE MACON / Getty / Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan has been the talk of the internet, but this latest news has nothing to do with a debate about him being “corny,” looking at you, Joe Budden.
Easily one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, Michael B. Jordan now has a star on the Walk of Fame, one of Hollywood’s most significant accomplishments, on Wednesday, March 1
The honor was first announced by The Hollywood Walk of Fame selection panel in 2021, and Jordan’s name was on a list that included television mogul Byron Allen and the late Hip-Hop star Nipsey Hussle.
His friend and frequent collaborator, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and his new buddy and Creed III co-star Jonathan Majors were on hand to deliver kind words about Jordan before he was given his star and plaque.
This latest accomplishment in his career came ahead of Creed III’s release, which Jordan directed, and critics are raving is the best film in the boxing movie franchise.
This is probably one of the most unforgettable weeks I’ve had,” Jordan said at the ceremony. “I’m extremely humbled and grateful to be here … I know it’s not a small achievement. It’s not lost on me how special this moment is and what this represents to our community, so from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you.”
Jonathan Majors & Ryan Coogler Came With The Glowing Words For Michael B. Jordan
Ryan Coogler and Jordan are now a formidable Hollywood 1,2 punch since Fruitvale Station. Coogler spoke on their history and recalling meeting a young Jordan in Starbucks by Universal Studios to discuss him possibly starring in the film.
The rest is history after that, with Jordan and Coogler working on other films like the first Creed film and Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
For his speech, Jonathan Majors had nothing but kind words about his buddy pointing to the long days on the Creed III set and how Jordan’s determination. “Today, brother, you go from man to god,” Majors said.
“You sit among Olympians. I honor you, I love you, and we are all so proud to call you our son, our brother, but chiefly, I am extremely honored to call you my friend. No man on the planet I know deserves it more. I love you to the moon and back,” Majors continued.
Congratulations to Michael B. Jordan, and see Creed III immediately. It’s fire.
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Photo: VALERIE MACON / Getty
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Source: Marvel / Disney
The critically acclaimed sequel film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, will soon arrive on Disney’s streaming service.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will make its debut on Disney Plus Feb. 1. The move was announced by Disney through their social media platforms, which brings the blockbuster film to homes three months after its release in November 2022.
The sequel to Marvel Studios’ 2020 hit finds Queen Ramonda (Bassett), Princess Shuri (Wright), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and M’Baku (Winston Duke) all dealing with the aftermath of the death of the Black Panther, King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). As they mourn, they are faced with a new threat to the kingdom of Wakanda – and the rest of the planet – in Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia) and the kingdom of Talokan.
Despite mishaps that included Wright missing time due to injury and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, audiences responded emphatically to the film which includes a tribute to Boseman, who tragically passed away from colon cancer in August 2020.
Domestic box office reports showed the film earned $181 million on its opening, placing it just second behind Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness which was released earlier in the year. It would go on to be the sixth highest-grossing film released in 2022, with box office earnings listed at $821 million dollars.
The loss of Boseman was a shock to the cast as well as director Ryan Coogler, who admittedly had reservations about making Wakanda Forever or even directing at all as he was close to Boseman. “I didn’t know if I could make another movie period, [let alone] another Black Panther movie, because it hurt a lot. I was like, ‘Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?’” Coogler said in an interview with GQ.
Wright also spoke of the emotional challenges in making the film and being present for the press runs afterward. “I’m bracing. I’ve seen some members of Chad’s team. When we lock eyes, we know how this feels. We have to take a step away,” she said in an interview. She continued: “I see my aunt locking my eyes with me, she’s very proud. I have to take a step away … It’s emotional. We’re trying to hold it together.”
It’s Wakanda forever! The day has arrived (Friday, Nov. 11) where the much-anticipated Black Panther sequel will be watched in theaters across the nation. Along with the film, the soundtrack to the movie arrived last Friday, with appearances from the likes of Tems, Future, E-40 — and the collection’s marquee attraction, Rihanna’s first new single in six years, “Lift Me Up.”
Ludwig Göransson, who won his first Oscar for best original score for Black Panther, worked on the soundtrack, including “Lift Me Up.”
“It was extremely special. Ryan and I created this spark, and Tems and Rihanna sort of turned that spark into a supernova,” Göransson tells Billboard. “They’re each tapped into something that borders on the divine — and looking back, it almost felt like ‘Lift Me Up’ had a life of its own, floating around the world, which felt right both for the film and the person who inspired it.”
The film’s director, Ryan Coogler, echoes these sentiments, saying that working with Tems, Rihanna, and Göransson was a rewarding experience. Göransson and Coogler’s relationship goes back over a decade and it’s “always great to collaborate with him,” he says.
“Tems, I’ve become very fond of in recent years, since learning about her and her story. I was amazed to be able to sit with her and have her contribute her artistry and genius to the song,” Coogler continues. “Rihanna, I’ve been listening to her since she came out, since ‘Pon de Replay.’ And her music has had a very meaningful effect on my life and the life of my family. I think back on some of our most memorable moments, and she was like a soundtrack for a lot of them. So it was amazing that it worked out.”
Göransson notes that the lullaby came together when he and Coogler flew to Nigeria to meet with artists and experience the music there. The pair talked about what kind of song they wanted to write for the late Panther Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020 at 43 after a battle with colon cancer. Coogler then started writing lyrics in his notebook on a flight, after hearing some chords Göransson had written and recorded.
While Coogler says he doesn’t consider himself a songwriter, he still felt honored to write the lyrics to the song. “I didn’t want to not do what he asked me to do,” Coogler says.
“We worked on a melody, which would become the chorus, and brought those ideas to Tems in Lagos,” Göransson continues. “She really brought it to life. Rihanna saw the movie a few months after becoming a mother and wanted to get involved — so we spent three weeks kind of painstakingly going through every part of it and it just came together.”
Co-Producer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Archie Davis, who has produced films Judas and The Black Messiah and Space Jam: A New Legacy, says that the song and the project as a whole changed the mourning process of Boseman for him in many ways. “I think it’s probably the most beautiful sonic love letter I ever could’ve imagined,” he says.
When it comes to the late Boseman, Davis hopes his legacy is remembered by people forever. “He was our Black Panther, and that goes beyond what he displayed on film.”
Now that the film is released, Coogler can’t wait for viewers to finally see it. “It’s just belonged to us for four years, so I’m excited to get it out to people and see what they think,” he says.
Göransson is similarly breathless about the film’s long-anticipated release: “I’m excited for audiences to connect with the story and the characters in a way that is uniquely intimate and deeply personal, and I’m excited for people to go home and be able to relive this experience with the soundtrack and the score.”
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