10 facts you probably didn’t know about ‘Sinners’
Ryan Coogler's Sinners is a genre-bending horror musical period drama that hit theaters on April 18, 2025. It introduces viewers to Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B. Jordan), twins who want to open a juke joint for the local black community in their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the 1930s. But an unknown evil lurks, threatening to destroy the very essence of their identity.
A movie crafted piece by piece through the dedication and quiet intention of stalwarts in the industry is bound to have lore that goes beyond what meets the fans' eye.
As the cast and crew began promotions in earnest, stories about how the movie's musical marvels, apt representation of black and Asian subcultures and histories, and moments of pure ingenuity on screen came about.
Disclaimers: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. Spoilers ahead.
The making of Sinners: 10 facts that will surprise fans
1) H.E.R. recommended Miles Caton for the role of Sammie
Miles Caton plays Sammie, the twins' cousin, and the voice that propels Sinners into act II. His rendition of the movie's central blues song I Lied To You, summons the spirits of black ancestors and future artists into the juke joint in united celebration. But what's lesser known is that this project marks the singer's debut on the big screen.
Before he stunned fans as Sammie, he was in renowned R&B singer H.E.R.'s crew, touring with her since he was 16 years old. In an interview with The News Movement on April 15, 2025, Caton mentions that she recommended the role to him, claiming it was a "young kid playing a guitar".
Caton learned to play the guitar later, but submitted a singing audition tape on H.E.R.'s nudging. The rest, as they say, is history.
2) The movie's first cut didn't involve Delta Slim's monologue
In an interview with Alex Miranda of WSVN 7 News in April 2025, Delroy Lindo, the actor who portrays an old town piano player named Delta Slim, explains how the poignant scene in the car with Stack and Sammie almost didn't make it to the final cut.
In the scene, Delta Slim goes through quiet but intense emotions as he tells Sammie about his past and his best friend's death at the hands of a white mob, before bursting into an emotional song as the stunned duo watches.
For starters, Lindo explains that the monologue was three pages long, none of which made it into the movie's first cut viewing in LA. But after Lindo spoke to Coogler and explained the importance of that moment in conjunction with the movie's core message, Coogler added it back in.
Moreover, the song that burst out of him was improvised and came from Lindo's experience of pain and grief.
The initial confused and unsure expressions from Sammie? That was Miles Caton's true reaction to the improvisation and the weight of the scene.
3) Remmick's Irish heritage is intentional for the movie's plot
Ryan Coogler discussed his connection with and love for Irish music as one of the inspirations for Sinners in an interview with The Indiewire in April, a week before the movie's release. However, the lore goes further than that.
The movie's commentary ties the music of a people's culture with their identity and oppressive history. Much of Ireland's history is tainted by English colonization and Hibernophobia, which makes Remmick similar to the black people in Jim Crow's America- he has faced oppression and runs away seeking asylum.
That is why, when he is asked if he is part of the Klan, Remmick is visibly offended. But his power comes from his race in this context, making his thirst for Sammie's music come from an oppressor's perspective.
Coogler narrates a tale of power hierarchy by using vampirism as a vehicle to showcase changing identities, Remmick's immortality, and a life that predates the racial struggles of the folk at the juke joint.
4) Costumes by Ruth E. Carter tell a story
Ruth E. Carter, Academy Award-winning costume designer for the Black Panther movies, is the costume designer for Sinners as well. While this showcases Ryan Coogler's continued partnerships with his cast and crew, her work also adds a layer of accuracy to the movie's era, the people's history, and creates authentic characters.
For starters, Smoke and Stack's looks showcase their personalities. While they both wear suits, the former's is bigger, less fitted, and hides more of him, showing his everyday worker personality.
The latter is more fitted, with cufflinks and a more flamboyant hat to indicate his flirtation with desire and attention to detail.
To represent the era--the end of slavery and the start of individuality--the characters wore lots of hand-me-downs, mostly ill-fitted ones. Fun fact: The hip-hop artists who became part of the crowd while Sammie sang wore costumes that rapper LL Cool J wore in the 90s!
5) Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson are friends from college
Another long-term collaboration Coogler is known for is with Oscar Award-winning music composer Ludwig Göransson. The two met at a frat party at USC and hit it off, marking years of unique work in the industry.
In Sinners, the composer worked with his father, a blues guitar player, and traveled to Memphis to understand the genre's rich history. He also collaborated with musicians like the 94-year-old blues legend Bobby Rush.
The movie has 29 individual music moments, and Göransson, along with music supervisor (and his wife) Selena, moved to New Orleans to be on set every day and infuse the soundtrack into its every crevice.
In an interview with Variety published on April 19, 2025, they explain that that was the only way it would feel "lived-in" and "organic".
6) Jack O'Connell was already a skilled Irish jig dancer
O'Connell, the actor who plays the original vampire Remmick in Sinners, admitted in a radio interview with Capital FM on April 16, 2025, that he learnt to play the banjo from scratch for his role.
However, he has had practice since childhood dancing the Irish jig. In an interview, the actor explains that he used to take classes as a child, and his father called him "Jumping Jack".
This talent came in handy for his performance in the movie, where he and the newly turned vampires revel in a rendition of the Irish classic Rocky Road to Dublin.
7) Michael B. Jordan worked with twins to understand his roles
Jordan's dual role in the movie came with a lot of research into the psyche of twins. He worked with filmmakers and twins Logan and Noah Miller to understand the inexplicable bond that twins share, while also learning the slight shifts in mannerisms, quirks, and temperaments.
He approached the roles to show two people who look the same, but the similarities stop there.
In a press stop with Mama Geeky for Sinners way back in January 2025, the actor explained that he didn't want his portrayal to come off as "caricaturish" but showcase the true dynamic between two people who "shared a womb". That's how the simmering rage of Smoke and the flitty joviality of Stack were born.
8) Sinners was shot in 70mm after Coogler was inspired by a Tarantino movie
Chief Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw and Ryan Coogler collaborated on a lot of test shoots to figure out the best format for filming. According to Durald Arkapaw's interview with Variety published on April 20, 2025, they tried the IMAX 65mm 15-perforation film frame and the 5-perforation film frame.
As they watched Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight and other movie footage projected in 70mm, Coogler realized what his movie was missing. He envisioned a wider landscape photography for the movie, which came to life with the 70mm format.
9) Coogler admitted that the inspiration for Remmick came from an unlikely source
On April 14, 2025, in an interview with the Get Rec'd podcast hosted by Juju Green, Ryan Coogler admitted to taking inspiration from the unlikeliest of sources for Sinners. One such revelation was about the movie's chief vampire, Remmick. Coogler said that his inspiration came from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Remember the big bad wolf with the gleaming red eyes and a tendency to bite people? Yes, that sounds familiar to Sinners fans. Joel Crawford responded to Coogler's shoutout by also appearing on the Get Rec'd podcast and explaining the shock and joy amongst his animators at DreamWorks.
10) Dr. Yvonne Chireau as a consultant for the hoodoo representation in Sinners
An important story in the movie comes in the form of Smoke's ex-wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), who practices Hoodoo. In the 1930s and subsequently, the practice has been rooted in spirituality and healing, intertwined with African-American culture and their horrific history of slavery in the United States.
To ensure authentic representation, Coogler and his wife, producing partner Zinzi, brought in Dr. Yvonne Chireau, author of Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition, to gain insights and portray the revered practice with sensitivity. Annie's scene at her shop with Smoke carries an important message about beliefs in the black community that have been sensationalized over time.
Watch Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, and an ensemble cast, on Prime Video.
