“Sinners” Writer/Director Ryan Coogler on Channeling Louisiana’s Creative Rhythm Into His Period Monsterpiece
Sinners, written, produced, and directed by Ryan Coogler, is hands down one of the year’s biggest cinematic successes. Coogler’s passion project found the filmmaker at the peak of his powers, and fans already primed to see anything from the still young visionary were ready to go once Sinners bowed. Yet it wasn’t just Coogler fans who flocked to the theaters—critical raves and word of mouth turned Coogler’s original period vampire epic into an early-year smash. The film exceeded expectations and became yet another Coogler film that qualified as “a moment.” Sinners’ success has been so thorough that it has already received a theatrical rerelease, as audiences were hungry to see it again on the big screen.
Sinners tells the story of twin brothers Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Stack (also Michael B. Jordan) who return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, after chasing success in the North. Opening a juke joint, Coogler’s sui generis take on what happens when music and dance meld in celebration of artistry, culture, and history; however, before too long, evil descends, threatening to consume the community’s heart and soul, dragging everything straight to Hell. Sinners’ ensemble cast also boasts Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, and Miles Caton.
Already twice nominated for Oscars for his work producing Judas and the Black Messiah and co-writing Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Sinners is predicted to garner Coogler his third (maybe more) nod. (It should be noted that his Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture, and he’s directed two performers to Oscar nominations—Sylvester Stallone in Creed and Angela Bassett in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.) Here, Coogler discusses the film’s impact on both audiences and himself, the invaluable local creatives he worked with filming in Louisiana, and the influence Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark had on Sinners.
Did you have any idea Sinners would resonate with audiences the way that it has?
No. Obviously, we were hoping to make a movie that had a certain degree of measurable success. We felt a responsibility to Warner Bros. for betting on us, and to ourselves and the story to make something folks would want to see, but for me, what has been really remarkable is the passion. People are engaging with the movie. That was something I couldn’t imagine. I love hearing about people throwing Sinners-themed parties, how people are traveling to see it in specific formats, seeing it multiple times, and real cinephiles having conversations with me about the film. I love seeing how seriously they care about the movie and how they engage with it.
You and Autumn Durald Arkapaw, your cinematographer, had very specific conversations about how to present this film and the format choices. It paid off.
For sure. I have got a lot of faith in the audience. Truthfully, I knew people would get it, subconsciously. I knew there would be a group of people who got it consciously, and some who are more fluent in film language, but what I didn’t expect was the passion with which people engage with it. All of us making the movie, we were passionate about it, and it was infectious, but this was my first example of understanding how contagious passion is through film language. I feel like the film became infused with the love we had for the story, from my producers, my heads of department, and the actors. Everybody loved this movie. I can tell you for a fact that just the process of making this was incredible. It was similar to my experience with Creed and Black Panther, but because this wasn’t based on anything pre-existing and I’m using characters the audience is meeting for the first time in this movie, that part really surprised me, and the audience connected with it.
You were inspired by many family stories from your grandmother, father, and uncle, and plenty of others have similar connections, so it is still world-building, but using the IP of real life. That’s something you have never done before, like this.
That’s very true. What is beautiful about it is that people brought their own stories and touchpoints to it. This movie was like me renewing my vows to cinema, if that makes sense. I’ve been married to it for a long time, but this was like, ‘I’ve got to double down.’ It still found a way that surprised me.
You have referenced many movies that influenced Sinners, but I specifically saw several parallels with Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark.
Absolutely. I actually had the opportunity to meet and spend time with her very recently. I watched Near Dark right before I made Sinners, and it had a massive influence on me. I loved that the vampires felt like a family. It’s an element of that film, and in The Lost Boys, too, but Near Dark has that idea of isolation built in as well. I love that movie, but I hadn’t actually seen it until I was prepping for Sinners. I was trying to watch everything I could before making this, and it’s a masterful movie.
Near Dark is not easy to get hold of.
It has some distribution issues, so I had to get a region-free Blu-ray, which was hard to find. We have to figure out how to make that movie more accessible. The Bill Paxton performance is insane. Everybody in that movie is great, but I found Bill Paxton to be extremely unnerving.
Sinners is set in Mississippi, but you shot this in Louisiana, which has an incredible creative network. It’s a state that helps make filmmakers successful. What was your experience of filming there?
I loved everything about it. The weather and the wildlife are intense, but it was the most incredible time I’ve ever had making a movie. I had my family with me, and it was an excellent place for kids. I could walk from where I was living to the studio. I was able to live a really healthy lifestyle while I was there, too, which sounds crazy, because New Orleans has all this amazing food and the partying, but it worked for me. The crews were really talented, professional, and hardworking. It’s southern hospitality. They care about you and look after you. I hope I can film there again one day.
Timotheus Davis is a rising star in production design and a sought-after art director, and he’s also one of the local creatives you worked very closely with. Was that key to bringing an authentic Southern look and feel to Sinners?
Absolutely. Tim did incredible work. He would call any shack his baby. He was the art director, and he infused every design with so much heart. He was an incredible force to have on set. Another person out of New Orleans was Monique Champagne, our set decorator. They are both such brilliant artists. Hannah Beachler, our production designer, also lives in New Orleans, so she was working from home and walking from our house. Doug Ware, our prop master, was from New Orleans as well. He’d be right around the corner having a coffee every day before and after work. What I realized is that I probably would never be able to recreate the magic we had on this movie, and I have to be okay with that. If I go into another movie looking for that, I will likely be disappointed. It was special.
Sinners put a lot of money into local businesses, but are you aware of the legacy that the movie already has in the area? There are self-guided tours of the locations.
(Laughs) I did not know this. That’s crazy. I’m learning that for the first time.
As a filmmaker, it’s rare and special to organically create adjacent real-world experiences beyond the film.
I’m so thankful for it. I’m thankful that all of these incredible artists said yes to the movie and engaged with us. I’m also thankful for the audience. They came up with their minds and hearts open and talked about the movie. That’s what makes a movie a moment; it’s the audience. You can make them the best movie that you can, and the film can be incredible at an artistic level, but the audience has to take it on. The audience dictates the movie’s legacy.
How has Sinners changed you as a filmmaker, and how do you look at projects and world-building moving forward?
Sinners was a movie where much of the creative rhythm came from paying attention, making sure it stayed in a good place. That’s probably what I will take from this. We had an incredible rhythm to how we were working, how we were listening to each other, how we were valuing everybody, so that would be what I take with me to the next project.
Sinners is available to stream now.
Featured image: Director RYAN COOGLER and Director of Photography AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW COOGLER in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SINNERS a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Eli Adé
