Ryan Coogler has had quite the decade since his debut feature, the indie Fruitvale Station, made such a splash at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. He almost instantly managed to establish himself as one of Hollywood’s go-to directors, and it wasn’t long until he got the call-up from Marvel to direct 2018’s Black Panther, in another collaboration with Michael B Jordan. Aside from those, Coogler has single-handedly revived the Rocky franchise, expanding a side plot involving the son of one of Rocky’s rival and friends, Adonis Creed, into a full-blown franchise.
Coogler's Dark New Project Has Supernatural Threat
The trailer for Coogler’s highly-anticipated next project, Sinners, has also arrived with a bang, but this time, the director’s original work carries a greater weight of expectation.
The flick once again stars Coogler-regular Jordan, who this time plays twin brothers with a dark, mysterious past; unlikely to be a happy one given the title. Although details for the plot have remained secretive, it’s clear that the twins will face a number of supernatural, and not altogether benign, foes along with their fellow townsfolk. In multiple scenes, Jordan can be seen gathering and cocking weaponry to prepare for the onslaught of what look like undead legions.
Sinners Hints at Being Much Darker Than Coogler's Past Work
As you might expect from the description above, it looks scary; this is no light romance flick. This contrasts with Coogler’s earlier work, from the thoughtful, tragic biopic of Fruitvale Station to the family-friendly action of Marvel’s Black Panther to the confident franchise Creed crowd-pleasers. The twins appear to have spent time abroad, and Jordan’s character tells us that much of what they witnessed, and perhaps partook in, was unpleasant: “I’ve been all over this world. I’ve seen men die in ways I ain’t even know was possible. Of all the things that I’ve seen, I ain’t ever seen no demons, no ghosts, no magic…till now.”
So too the title, Sinners, gives us a clue that Jordan’s possibly titular brothers may not be as heroic as his previous starring role was in Creed. As a voiceover tells us over climactic shots late in the trailer: “Dance with the devil…and he’ll follow you home.” Who knows how we might feel about the characters and their fates when the credits finally roll?
