“Ding, ding, ding you win!” exclaimed Director Ryan Coogler at the start of our interview when I mentioned that his new film “Sinners” remind me, a New Orleans native, of gumbo. (To those unfamiliar “gumbo” is a well-seasoned Southern stew consisting of vegetables, chicken, sausage, and shrimp over rice.) Coogler, a proud Oakland native is equally as proud of his southern roots which includes an uncle from Mississippi and a grandmother from Port Arthur, Texas who’s renowned for her gumbo.
“Sinners” is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twins named “Smoke” and “Stack”. The brothers have recently returned from Chicago to Mississippi with plans to open a juke joint. The pair rally up some of the best musicians in town including their cousin “Sammie Moore” (actor Miles Caton) and “Delta Slim” (Delroy Lindo). With a reputation that precedes them, their presence is revered but their return is met with contention when the brothers encounter their former lovers “Annie” (Wunmi Mosaku) and “Mary” (Hailee Steinfeld).
Coogler, who previously directed “Fruitvale Station”, “Creed”, “Black Panther” and “Black Panther II: Wakanda Forever” gives D’AMOUR Magazine insight into his decision to make his fifth film a vampire musical.
“I’ve made two movies about fictional African kings and queens. [For “Sinners”] I was honored to take IMAX film cameras and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras and go to Louisiana and make something real. Yes, it has magic, hoodoo, and vampires in it but at the foundation of “Sinners” is something real.”
While “Sinners” is in part a vampire horror film, it’s immensely layered and rooted in Black history. Coogler drew from several personal and historical references when writing the screenplay. These inspirations included his late uncle who often played blues music when they were together. Coogler shared that after his uncle’s passing, listening to those records made him feel as if he could conjure his uncle’s presence.
Coincidentally, the origin of blues music is said to have similar connections to spirituality. The film takes place in the 1930s at a time when gospel was the most prevalent genre. A lore about popular artists of the time including Charley Patton and Robert Johnson was that they sold their souls to the devil in order to play the guitar and sing the blues. In the film, one of the character’s pure and unadulterated gift for singing the blues and playing the guitar unintentionally summons the underworld.
What differentiates “Sinners” from other horror films is the masterful way in which Coogler places the vampires literally in front of a door; however, they can’t enter without being invited in. This is a subtle yet powerful message that actress Wunmi Mosaku who plays “Annie” a Hoodoo priestess, wants audiences to glean from the film. Mosaku told D’AMOUR Magazine, “The vampires can be a reference for so many things. Evil can show up in many different forms. Is it gnawing away at your purpose or your gift? Is it procrastination? Is it overstimulation? There are so many things that could be interpreted as something that’s going to change and manipulate what you’re meant to do. It’s about identifying what that could be in your life right now, what’s serving you and what’s not. And what’s going propel you further into fulfillment, peace, and joy.”
With a film set in the Mississippi in the 1930s one would think that there’s nothing scarier than the characters that are Klan members. Yet Coogler introduces the audience to a group of vampires of Irish descent who appear to be wholesome traveling musicians. When asked about framing the vampires in this way Coogler shared, “Out of all the pop culture, public domain monsters and supernatural creators, vampires are the ones most often associated with choice and seduction and in a lot of stories they maintain their humanity. A vampire is scarier than a werewolf because a vampire can talk to you, seduce you, and pretend to be something they’re not. So I thought that would be interesting to explore.”
The Oscar-nominated director’s passion for filmmaking is palpable and it reverberates within his cast. When asked about her experience working with Coogler, Mosaku said, “Ryan is such a pure and powerful artist. What I love about him is that he gives his all. He recognizes how everyone fits into his purpose and his artistry but he never takes complete credit. He’s very aware of the symbiotic nature of art and life. And I think that’s such a strength of his, because he gives everyone around him the power to do their best work, and he wants you to feel free and empowered to do it. He’s such a great leader in that way.” When asked what he wants audiences to take away from their experience watching “Sinners”, Coogler said. “First, I want them to have a great time at the theater. To me, that’s the most important gift I can give people right now in 2025 is the feeling that their time at the movies was well spent, and they watched something that had their adrenaline pumping.”
With the Grammy, Golden Globe, and Oscar Award-winning composer Ludwig Göransson at the helm of the score and the soundtrack, Coogler continues, “At the heart of “Sinners” is a movie about Delta Blues music. I believe that music is America’s most important artistic contribution to global culture. If we’re talking gumbo, then it’s the roux for popular music. Everything that we listen to now, every genre came from blues. And as Americans, it’s something to know and be very proud of.”
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) will be released in theatres and IMAX on Friday, April 18th.
Film Rating 9.5/10
The Epilogue:
In prepping for this interview and listening to Ryan speak so fervently about the music being the foundation of “Sinners”, I wish audiences going into the film received the same historical context about the music akin to the now viral video of Ryan explaining film formats (link). The following is a Reimagined Marketing Strategy for “Sinners” that leans into the historical references in the film as well as its Southern backdrop.
•”Songs of Sinners” Documentary
In scrolling through the official “Sinners” instagram, there’s no mention of the legendary blues singers Charley Patton and Robert Johnson that provided the historical framework for the film. There was a phenomenal opportunity for some of the artists featured on the soundtrack including film star Miles Caton along with film composer Ludwig Göransson to give insight into how blues music is the through line for the music of today. Especially with one of the most intricate scenes in the film being a mashup of music and culture in one room, it would have been great to see a supplemental documentary narrated by Caton that including the making of that scene as well as the studio sessions with the artists that wrote and produced the soundtrack (which includes the legendary Co-Founder of Tony Toni Tone, Raphael Saadiq!) This documentary could have been made available on the “Sinners” social media pages in partnership with the Recording Academy and also available on Warner Bros YouTube channel.
•Revised Tagline & Later Release Date
In lieu of “Sinners Are Coming”, a more fitting tagline would have been “Summer Of Sinners” which not only acknowledges the setting and the season that the film takes place but also encourages a longer theatrical run per the CEO of AMC, Adam Aron who is pushing for the return of a 45-day theatrical releases. While releasing the film during July 4th weekend would not have been ideal because “Jurassic World Rebirth” is slated for July 2nd and “Superman” on July 11th, actor Micheal B. Jordan shares the same target audience as ESSENCE Magazine. As such, Essence Fest in New Orleans during July 4th would have been an excellence space for an activation entitled “Sinners Weekend” including a “clips and conversation” with the cast leading into an August release date. (While not always a foolproof strategy, a later release date may also help to ensure the film isn’t overlooked for awards season.)
•Amplify Black Owned Soul Food Restaurants
The production design in “Sinners” is beautiful. Particularly the scenes with Smoke at the marketplace. There’s so much attention to detail given to the store fronts and you can read the costs of all the goods and services painted on the windows. There are multiple reference to having fried catfish served at the juke joint. With the cast filming in Louisiana for six-months, it’s fair to assume that everyone ate their fair share of southern cuisine. The marketing campaign could have included social media clips that amplified Black-owned restaurants in New Orleans and other major markets including Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and as well as cities that are important to Coogler including Oakland, Port Arthur (TX) and his uncle’s hometown in Mississippi by creating a “Sinners Specialty Menu” taste-tested and curated by the cast including Southern staples such as shrimp & grits, catfish, gumbo, beignets and sweet tea. Similar to the “Keith Lee Effect” and the way in which hundreds of businesses have seen an uptick in business after the social media star visited their restaurant, to have the director and stars of the film stop by restaurants in the midst of the promotional tour is an opportunity to engage with the community and have a lasting positive impact on Black-owned businesses.