Before heading back into Wakanda, Ryan Coogler had a different story he needed to tell — one deep in history, family, grief, and the haunting rhythms of blues music. With his latest film, Sinners, the Black Panther director takes a sharp but deeply personal detour, pushing back the highly anticipated Marvel threequel to explore a tale inspired by one of the most meaningful relationships in his life.
In an interview with Deadline, Coogler opened up about the motivation behind Sinners, a supernatural thriller set in the Jim Crow-era South that blends historical fiction with gothic horror.
But at the core of the film lies a tribute to his late uncle James — a man whose love for Mississippi blues, old whiskey, and quiet strength helped shape Coogler’s view of the world.
“He was, for a long time, the oldest man in our family,” Coogler said. “I spent a lot of time with him, man. And he would listen to blues music. That was his thing. He didn’t watch movies. He listened to Blues vinyls, and listened to the San Francisco Giants on the radio. He drank Old Taylor Whiskey. That was his thing. And I associated that music with him — which was like, it’s old Black man music.”
Set in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners explores racial violence, vengeance, and vampirism — but for Coogler, the blood that runs through the film isn’t just from the horror genre. It’s familial. It’s cultural. It’s ancestral.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe helped catapult Coogler to mainstream fame, Sinners gave the filmmaker something different: healing.
He vividly recalled the moment he found out his uncle James had passed away while Coogler was filming Creed. “I remember getting a call and just feeling like sh*t,” he said.
His uncle had been a quiet source of motivation, even sending him text messages and quotes from blues songs while Coogler struggled with homesickness on set. “He would say, ‘Hey, hang in there. Like Albert King says, everything’s going to be okay.’ That was his thing.”
In the years since, Coogler began turning to those very blues records when he wanted to feel close to his uncle. “If the song was good enough and loud enough, if the room was dark enough, I would feel like he was right there listening with me.”
Sinners is Coogler’s fifth collaboration with Michael B. Jordan, the actor who has become synonymous with Coogler’s directorial rise, dating back to their debut on Fruitvale Station.
Coogler’s decision to delay Black Panther 3 wasn’t just about scheduling — it was about intention. “I needed to tell this story,” he said. “There was something in me that wouldn’t let go until I did.”
