Ryan Coogler is pumping the brakes on all those sequel and prequel whispers swirling around his vampire thriller, Sinners. In an April interview with EBONY, the acclaimed filmmaker made it clear: he’s not thinking about continuing the story of the Southern juke joint and its bloodthirsty patrons—at least not anytime soon.
“I never think about that,” Coogler said candidly. “I’ve been in a space of making franchise films for a bit, so I wanted to get away from that. I was looking forward to working on a film that felt original and personal to me and had an appetite for delivering something to audiences that was original and unique.”
And original it is. Sinners follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan, in his fifth collaboration with Coogler) who open a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi, only to find themselves up against a supernatural threat lurking in the shadows. Miles Caton rounds out the musical heart of the film as Sammie, a preacher’s son whose bluesy guitar and vocals take the juke joint to soaring heights.
“I wanted the movie to feel like a full meal: your appetizers, starters, entrees and desserts,” Coogler explained. “I wanted it to be a holistic and finished thing. That was always my intention.”
Beyond the horror and hoodoo, Coogler’s film is a love letter to the power of music in Black communities. “I do think that music is a form of alchemy,” he said. “I’ve had the experience of being at a party where the music is good, and you got the right people around you, and for a brief period of time, you feel almost immortal…that was what I was trying to communicate.”
The movie’s epic IMAX cinematography and soulful soundtrack have already captivated audiences, pushing Sinners to a global box office of over $350 million—making it one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year. Not bad for a story with no pre-existing IP or guaranteed franchise future.
Still, Coogler isn’t closing the door on exploring otherworldly stories altogether. “This film is very much me,” he told Variety. “I love anything supernatural. I’m in. I like stories about communities, about neighborhoods, about archetypes. And I love period anything. So, when you layer those things together, that does it for me.”
If Sinners is the only time we see this world on screen, Coogler and Jordan have left us with a singular and haunting experience—rich in rhythm, history, and otherworldly chills.
“Sinners” is currently in theaters.