Ryan Coogler‘s new film Sinners has been the talk of the town since it premiered in theaters, where it earned an impressive $48 million during its domestic opening weekend alone.
The stylish horror blockbuster stars Michael B. Jordan serving double duty as twins Smoke and Stack, a pair of gangsters who return to their Mississippi hometown after hitting it big in Chicago. But when they open up their own juke joint as a refuge from the overt racism Black residents faced everyday during the 1930s, the grand opening is interrupted by the arrival of a troupe of vampires who threaten to take the Mississippi town of Clarksdale – and its culture – for themselves.
Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and Miles Caton also star.
The haunting film brings several themes to life on screen thanks to its indelible cast. The Sinners movie shines a light on the realities of life in the Klan-infested South in the early 20th century. But is it based on a true story?
Coogler opened up about what inspired his approach to the irresistible film in a revealing interview with Indiewire, where he shared just how much his family inspired him while writing and directing the film.
Is Sinners based on a true story?
Well, no, not exactly. Last time we checked, vampires are not real. (Or ARE THEY!?!?!)
That said, the project definitely drew inspiration from real life events happening during the 1930s. Speaking to Indiewire, Coogler described the project as a “heart on the sleeve” feat.
The Black Panther director explained that he was heavily influenced by stories his late Uncle James shared about growing up in Mississippi. After his uncle passed away from cancer while Coogler was filming Creed in Philadelphia, the filmmaker began listening to blues music, his uncle’s favorite genre, to cope with the loss.
“It all started with the fact that I would listen to that blues music to think about my uncle, and I thought, ‘Man, who was he thinking about when he was listening to it?’ Did he listen to that [music] and was it people that he was conjuring?” he said. He added that he “skipped over the American South” when reconnecting with his ancestors while visiting Africa for the Black Panther films. But he chose to tap into his “trans-generational” community to hear stories about their experiences working, dating, and living in Mississippi around that time.
Amongst other things, Coogler added that he asked his grandmother about her first date with his grandfather as part of his research. “It made me realize the youthful nature of these people, their virility and vitality,” he said, adding that it heavily inspired how present the film made the people of Clarksdale feel.
The city of Clarksdale, Mississippi, also has a story of its own that may have inspired Sinners. According to The New Yorker, Clarksdale is the birthplace of blues, and is the city where real life bluesman Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for stardom and artistry. (For more on this, you should check out ReMastered: Devil At The Crossroads on Netflix, or even Crossroads, the ’80s era Ralph Macchio movie where the Karate Kid himself goes toe-to-toe with the Devil.)
One of the movie’s main characters, Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), definitely seems to be at least partially based on Johnson. So much so, Coogler cast the legendary guitarist Buddy Guy to play an older Sammie Moore in the mid-credits scene.
This scene shows Sammie leading a successful music career in Chicago in 1992 when he runs into two people he never thought he’d see again. Guy, who Coogler revealed was his Uncle James’ favorite musician, reportedly took no convincing to sign onto the film.
Sinners marks Coogler’s first original film after successfully tackling two major intellectual properties – Black Panther and Creed. It’s no surprise Coogler came out swinging with this epic genre film that cements him as a filmmaker who can do it all.
Sinners is playing now in theaters.
The post Is ‘Sinners’ Based On A True Story? appeared first on Decider.
