Ryan Coogler
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Sinners, the hit horror film from director Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, is set in Mississippi in the small town of Clarksdale. Clarksdale, which doesn’t have its own movie theater, will host a special screening of the film this summer, according to reports.
TMZ reports that Clarksdale, a predominantly Black town of just under 15,000 residents, is where Sinners takes place. The nearest major city to Clarksdale is Memphis, which is about 76 miles to the north. The town doesn’t have a movie theater, so some residents have made the nearly 90-minute trek to Memphis and beyond to see the film. This summer, it appears that the town’s fortunes are changing. Mayor Chuck Epsy told TMZ that his side has spoken with Warner Bros. to bring Sinners to the town. Epsy says that the plan is to host a Juneteenth screening at Clarksdale High School’s football field and perhaps a panel featuring the stars, including director Ryan Coogler, Wunmi Mosaku, and more.
Sinners has defied box office expectations for a horror film, especially one that focuses primarily on Black characters. The success of the film has surprisingly baffled critics despite the high quality of storytelling and craftsmanship Coogler brought to the film.
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Photo: Tim P. Whitby / Getty
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Source: Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock as of late (or MAGA country), you’d know that Ryan Coogler’s latest film Sinners has become a cultural phenomenon; the likes that haven’t been seen since white folks flooded theaters to see Leonardo DiCaprio turn into a ice popsicle in the name of love in James Cameron’s Titanic (what a burger).
Now that we’re all aware that Sinners is the must-see film of 2025, the film will see a re-release on IMAX screens later this month, and best believe fans cannot wait to experience the horror film filled with heart and soul once again.
According to Variety, on May 15, Sinners will once again be premiering in theaters. But this time the Ryan Coogler classic will be shown at specific IMAX theaters across the United States so that viewers can truly experience the magic of the move that was shot in 70mm film. Tickets for the film are on sale on the IMAX website, and best believe these will be hard to come by as May 15 inches closer. So if you plan on getting a seat or two, now would be the time to act.
Per Variety:
“Audiences have spoken and we listened. If ever a film needed to be experienced in this incredible larger-than-life format, it’s ‘Sinners,’” Warner Bros. Pictures president of global distribution Jeff Goldstein said in a statement. “Ryan has delivered a film that has been embraced by fans who appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into creating a film for this screen-filling format and we wanted to give everyone the opportunity to see it — or see it again — in 70mm Imax.”
“Sinners” will be back in Imax 70mm at the City Walk Stadium 19 + Imax (Los Angeles), Irvine Spectrum and Imax (Irvine), Lincoln Square 13 + Imax (New York), Metreon 16 + Imax (San Francisco), Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis), Arizona Mills IMAX (Phoenix), Autonation Imax (Ft. Lauderdale), Webb Chapel Imax (Dallas) and Colossus Imax (Toronto).
Already having grossed $161 million against its modest $90 million budget, Sinners is already proving to be a great success for Ryan Coogler. Fans are now saying that Marvel should have put this man in charge of writing and directing Blade. Interestingly enough, there’s rumors that Sinners was supposed to be Coogler’s origin story for Blade (who he says is his favorite Black vampire), but was ultimately turned into an original vampire film. The rest is history.
Will you be checking out Sinners when it hits IMAX theaters later this month? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Anadolu / Ruth E. Carter
We continue to learn more about Marvel Studios’ Blade reboot, currently stuck in limbo, from those who were initially attached to the project.
Two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer, Ruth E. Carter, is spilling the beans on Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot that can’t seem to get off the ground.
Speaking on the Designing Hollywood podcast, Carter discussed her experience preparing for Marvel Studios’ Blade movie, revealing that the iteration of the film she was attached to at the time was going to be a period piece.
“I was prepping Blade for Marvel, and it was a 1920s Blade story, and it got shut down because of the writers’ strike and the actors’ strike, so I was just in limbo,” Carter revealed. “Having done a lot of research for this period piece about a vampire—Blade is a vampire story—[Coogler]’s wife, Zinzi, who also was a producer on [Sinners], she gave me a call and said, ‘I’m not gonna tell you the story, but Ryan has a story he’s going to tell you about … It is a period piece about vampires.’ And I thought, ‘Okay, I have already been living in that space for quite a long time prepping Blade, and Blade‘s not going to happen, so let me hear it.’”
Marvel Studios’ Blade’s Troubled Development
Since its announcement in 2019, the Blade reboot has had several different iterations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, one version of the film was supposed to take place on a “massive train.”
The version Ruth was attached to, the period piece, also starred Mia Goth as a vampire villain named Lillith who had a thirst for Blade’s daughter.
Goth is still attached to the project, but it sounds like we will never see that version of the film. Thankfully, for Carter, she was able to take that mindset from Blade to Sinners, helping her long-time collaborator deliver another box office win.
This latest development comes on the heels of Delroy Lindo speaking about his character in the Blade reboot and revealing that production “went off the rails,” leading to his departure from the project. He subsequently joined Coogler’s Sinners, where he is currently receiving praise for his performance in the film.
At this point, we hope this Blade movie starring Ali still happens.
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Source: Gareth Cattermole / Getty /Ryan Coogler / Sinners
Ryan Coogler is highly thankful to all the support and love his phenomenal vampire flick, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, is receiving, so he took the time to thank them personally.
Despite becoming one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers, Ryan Coogler remains humble and recognizes that it is the viewing audience that has helped him achieve his success.
Keeping the same energy after fans flocked to theaters to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coogler penned an open letter thanking moviegoers for running, not walking, to see the film, leading to it taking a massive bite out of the box office and dethroning A Minecraft Movie in the process.
Fans also contributed to the film becoming one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time.
Coogler Expresses Eternal Gratitude To Fans
In the typewritten letter shared on the Sinners, Proximity Media, and Warner Bros. Instagram accounts, he wrote:
“Eternal Gratitude. I want to thank each and every one of you who bought a ticket to see SINNERS. Who decided to drive to see the film in different formats,” he begins. “Who bought popcorn and a drink, booked a sitter and carpooled, and stood in the lobby afterward and talked and made a friend. Who changed their work schedules. Who saw the film in groups.”
He further thanked viewers for the success of Sinners, as the project was deeply personal to him, drawing inspiration from his late uncle and his passion for blues music, one of the film’s many themes, alongside the vampiric element.
Coogler continued, “I had the gift of the opportunity to make a film inspired by my family and ancestry, but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences.” We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.”
Ryan Coogler Vows To Keep Making Cinematic Heat To Repay Fans For Their Support
The Black Panther director also noted he would repay fans by continuing to put out cinematic heat while showing love to his “cinematic influences,” Spike Lee, John Singleton, Steve McQueen, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, Francis Coppola,, Steven Spielberg, the Safdie brothers, Stephen King, Martin Scorcese, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Of course, he also had to thank his longtime collaborator, Michael B. Jordan, for their 13-year partnership, his wife, Zinzi, and his picture editor, Michael Shawver.
Sinners is still in theaters and on track to gross $100 million, despite publications like Variety attempting to downplay the film’s success.
Social media continues to praise the movie as well. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Gareth Cattermole / Getty /Ryan Coogler / Sinners
Ryan Coogler is highly thankful to all the support and love his phenomenal vampire flick, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, is receiving, so he took the time to thank them personally.
Despite becoming one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers, Ryan Coogler remains humble and recognizes that it is the viewing audience that has helped him achieve his success.
Keeping the same energy after fans flocked to theaters to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coogler penned an open letter thanking moviegoers for running, not walking, to see the film, leading to it taking a massive bite out of the box office and dethroning A Minecraft Movie in the process.
Fans also contributed to the film becoming one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time.
Coogler Expresses Eternal Gratitude To Fans
In the typewritten letter shared on the Sinners, Proximity Media, and Warner Bros. Instagram accounts, he wrote:
“Eternal Gratitude. I want to thank each and every one of you who bought a ticket to see SINNERS. Who decided to drive to see the film in different formats,” he begins. “Who bought popcorn and a drink, booked a sitter and carpooled, and stood in the lobby afterward and talked and made a friend. Who changed their work schedules. Who saw the film in groups.”
He further thanked viewers for the success of Sinners, as the project was deeply personal to him, drawing inspiration from his late uncle and his passion for blues music, one of the film’s many themes, alongside the vampiric element.
Coogler continued, “I had the gift of the opportunity to make a film inspired by my family and ancestry, but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences.” We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.”
Ryan Coogler Vows To Keep Making Cinematic Heat To Repay Fans For Their Support
The Black Panther director also noted he would repay fans by continuing to put out cinematic heat while showing love to his “cinematic influences,” Spike Lee, John Singleton, Steve McQueen, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, Francis Coppola,, Steven Spielberg, the Safdie brothers, Stephen King, Martin Scorcese, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Of course, he also had to thank his longtime collaborator, Michael B. Jordan, for their 13-year partnership, his wife, Zinzi, and his picture editor, Michael Shawver.
Sinners is still in theaters and on track to gross $100 million, despite publications like Variety attempting to downplay the film’s success.
Social media continues to praise the movie as well. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Getty Images / Ben Stiller / Sinners
Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners is without a doubt a hit, but based on a post from Variety, you would think otherwise, and Ben Stiller and everyone else on X see the jig.
Coogler’s 1930’s vampire flick that stars Jordan as two twins, Smoke and Stack, that return home to open up a juke joint, only to encounter a pack of blood sucking gouls took a significant bite out of the box office during its opening weekend, earning an impressive $61 million and dethroning A Minecraft Movie.
Variety, the well-established publication that reports on all things Hollywood, dropped a shady post on X, speaking about the film’s success, while also pointing out itit’still short of breaking even and returning a profit for the studio.
The tweet (yes, we still call them that) is hilariously still up and it reads:
“Sinners” has amassed $61 million in its global debut. It’s great result for an original, R-rated horror film, yet the Warner Bros. release has a $90 million price tag before global marketing expenses, so profitability remains a ways away.”
Ben Stiller Was Not Feeling Variety’s Shade Towards Sinners
The post, which was also slapped with a well-timed community note calling Variety’s headline misleading, sparked plenty of outrage, with some of Hollywood’s biggest names like Ben Stiller coming to the defense of the hit film.
In a quote reply, Stiller wrote, “In what universe does a 60 million dollar opening for an original studio movie warrant this headline?”
Patrick Schwarzenegger (The White Lotus) also chimed in on the matter, reminding folks that “It’s opening weekend…”
“I wonder if @variety covered Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – which made 10% less at the domestic box office on 10% more theaters prepandemic and at the same budget with a similar deal structure – in the same way,” Franklin Leonard, a film producer and creator of The Black List said on X.
The rest of the world who have been praising the film after seeing it in theaters have also been sounding off on Variety. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Getty Images / Ryan Coogle / Gillian Anderson / The X-Files
Ryan Coogler has set the world ablaze with his phenomenal vampire flick Sinners, and is now looking forward to his reboot of The X-Files, in which he hopes will feature one of the OGs from the original show.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Last Podcast on the Left, the Black Panther director discussed what’s next on his plate and revealed that it was the X-Files reboot.
“I’ve been excited about that for a long time, and I’m fired up to get back to it,” Coogler said about his “X-Files” reboot. “Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f—ing scary. We’re gonna try to make something really great, bro, and really be something for the real ‘X-Files’ fans, and maybe find some new ones.”
To get folks even more excited about his take on the iconic Fox show, he revealed that he’s “spoken to the great Gillian Anderson,” adding, “She’s incredible. Fingers crossed there.”
In the show, Anderson plays FBI Agent Dana Scully, who is initially very skeptical of her partner, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), but eventually becomes a believer in his conspiracies after experiencing them firsthand. At one point, she is abducted and offered to aliens.
Gillian Anderson Already Expressed Optimism That She Wants To Return
Speaking on the Today show, Anderson expressed optimism about returning for the reboot. “It’s so funny because for most of my life, since I have finished ‘The X-Files‘, every interview I do, people have asked and the answer has always been, ‘Nope, not going to happen, not going to happen,’” Anderson said. “Now, Ryan Coogler, who is the director of ‘Black Panther’ — brilliant, brilliant director — has approached Chris Carter to say that he wants to do a take on it, and I cannot think of a better way around for a reboot to happen.”
She continued, “Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing. I’m not saying no. I think he’s really cool and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well. And maybe I’ll pop in for a little something something.”
Now, if Coogler can both Anderson and Duchovny back, he’s got another hit on his hands.
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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.