Ryan Coogler Thought He Lost Michael B. Jordan for Sinners Role

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler has revealed that the early stages of pitching Sinners to longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan were far from smooth.

Ryan Coogler recalls pitching Sinners to Michael B. Jordan

Sinners that went on to become a global phenomenon was a surprising hit for many, as the premise itself was a unique one in the plethora of recent commercial hits. The now iconic plot is what made the road to getting Michael B. Jordan on board unexpectedly tense, according to director Ryan Coogler.

The Great Depression–era vampire epic follows twin brothers who open a juke joint in Mississippi’s Southern heartland. Coogler admitted that explaining it over the phone felt risky at the time, especially given Jordan’s busy schedule. Speaking on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, he shared an account of how the pitch happened.

Coogler said he had been carefully trying to finish the screenplay before formally approaching Jordan, worried about keeping the actor waiting. “How it ended up working: I was trying to get the screenplay together, ’cause Mike’s busy, and I didn’t wanna say, ‘Hey, I got a thing,’” Coogler explained.

That plan changed when Jordan called him to pitch another project. Coogler recalled telling him, “Mike, I can’t work on that right now.” Jordan, according to Coogler, reacted with frustration, asking if there was “something you’re not telling me.” That was when Coogler decided to reveal the Sinners concept.

“I’m like, ‘Look, I’m working on a thing, I’m bringing this to you, this is what it is: it’s twins, it’s period, it’s vampires,’” he said. The response was silence. Coogler continued, “I remember how he reacted ’cause he just got quiet for a long time… and I was like, ‘Oh shit, did I lose him?’” The pause turned out to be what got the director thinking he lost the leading man. Jordan eventually replied, “‘Man, you know what, that sound pretty interesting, man.’”

Coogler later completed the Sinners script and shared it with Michael B. Jordan, officially moving the project forward.

Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net