Ryan Coogler Has No Plans For a 'Sinners' Sequel

Summary

• Director Ryan Coogler has confirmed he will not be making a sequel to his supernatural thriller Sinners
• Coogler’s decision is driven by his intention for Sinners to be a complete, standalone story and a desire to move away from franchise films
• The film, starring Michael B. Jordan, was a critical and commercial success, proving an original film can thrive without a franchise future

In a resurfaced interview, Ryan Coolger doubled down on the future of his major box office success Sinners and why it will not receive a sequel.

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Coogler said at the time, “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.” The film is still gaining traction despite its release about two months ago. Sinners is slated to hit theaters later this month in parts of Asia.

The filmmaker, who also directed Creed and Black Panther, wanted to make sure that Sinners felt “like a full meal: your appetizers, starters, entrees and desserts, I wanted all of it there.” He added, “I wanted it to be a holistic and finished thing. That was how I was asked all about it. That was always my intention.” In its first weekend at the box office, Sinners over performed grossing $48 million USD domestically and $63 million USD globally. It also made history with the second-best Monday for an R-rated film. The supernatural horror saw Jordan in a dual role and the film has been praised for its original storytelling and unique blend of supernatural horror, music, and Black history, becoming one of the year’s top-grossing original films without needing franchise backing.

Coogler penned a letter to his fans after the success of the film, writing, “Eternal gratitude. My heart is bursting with it. I want to thank each and every one of you who bought a ticket to see Sinners. Who decided to drive to see the film in different formats. Who bought popcorn and a drink, booked a sitter and carpooled, and stood in the lobby afterward and talked and made a friend. Who changed their work schedules. Who saw the film in groups. I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters. We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.”

Warner Bros. Discovery appears to share Coogler’s personal view of Sinners as a “full meal” as well. Production Weekly, a site that tracks development of movies and TV shows, claimed that a Sinners sequel was in development, but the studio reached out and specifically stated that the claim “isn’t true.”