UB Spotlight: ‘Sinners’ Supporting Cast Talk New Horror Film

“Sinners” is in theaters only nationwide on April 18th via Warner Bros. Pictures.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Starring, Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo.

“Sinners” reunites Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler for a fifth time with his longtime collaborator, friend and acclaimed performer/filmmaker, Michael B. Jordan. “It’s a genre-bending concept from the mind of Ryan Coogler,” stated Michael, “and it’s a special one.”

Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who survived combat in WWI and gangland Chicago and now return to their hometown with a truck full of liquor and heads full of big ideas.

“Sinners” also provides Coogler the opportunity to go full circle. As an original tale that takes place in a single day, it is the storytelling style that first put him on the map with his debut feature, “Fruitvale Station,” both were shot on film as well.

It also pairs one of Ryan Coogler’s favorite genres with Michael B. Jordan… times two.

The film is not only extremely personal to Ryan, but also reflects a genre he himself loves as an audience member and one that the filmmaker has never explored before. “The film is very genre-fluid, you know? It switches in and out of a lot of different genres. And yes, vampires are an element of the movie, but that’s not the only supernatural element. It’s about more than just that. I’m dealing with a lot of archetypes… not just the vampire, but the supernaturally gifted musician. I think it’s going to surprise folks in a good way. My favorite films in the genre, you could take the supernatural element out and the films still work. But that element actually helps to heighten it, elevate it. I was aspiring to make something in that tradition.”

Principal photography began in the spring of 2024 on location in New Orleans and the surrounding areas of Louisiana.

With much of the film taking place in a juke joint nightclub, Beachler, together with veteran locations manager Elston Howard, prioritized finding the ideal locale for building the massive, free-standing, corrugated metal structure, once a sawmill.

Two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter brought her signature depth and historical nuance to “Sinners,” a film that reimagines the horror genre through a uniquely Southern Gothic lens.

Set in the post-Reconstruction South, Ryan Coogler’s film uses costume design as a powerful storytelling tool, weaving in elements of history, spirituality and the supernatural.

“Sinners” was shot with IMAX film cameras, the highest-resolution cameras available today, with nearly 10 times the resolution of standard 35mm film.

Directors Statement

My earliest memories of movies were while sitting in a darkened room, full of strangers, and being absolutely terrified by something that was happening on the screen. That feeling of being with others, the unison, the horror and delight made me feel like home. That’s where it began for me…

The film Jurassic Park would not be classified as a horror movie, but when you ask people what they remember, it’s probably the scene when the Tyrannosaurus Rex is chasing people in a car, or when the velociraptor opens up a door (with his teeth). Those are terrifying moments, the moments that stick with you. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Jordan Peele’s Get Out. To me, that’s horror.

All of my favorite filmmakers left an indelible mark on the consciousness of the audience, and oftentimes those films are the ones that end up becoming the most timeless. So, I have loved the genre of horror since I can remember, and couldn’t wait to do my own one day.

I got to dig into the films that I loved growing up and analyze them, figure out what drew me to them. I tried to lean on those influences and figure out a way to tell my story in that space. It’s a genre that continues to resonate with audiences, with popular consumers of films. But it’s also a genre that comes up when people talk about great pieces of art in cinema as well. I think that’s because it feels ancient. The first story we probably told around a fire was a horror story.

Sinners is my love letter to all of the things that I love about going to the movies, as a cinephile, especially watching films with an audience. It’s the communal experience—and this movie was made to be seen with a crowd of people you don’t know.

—Ryan Coogler (Writer/Director/Producer of Sinners)

Li Jun Li plays Grace who, along with her husband, Bo Chow (played by YAO). Grace and her husband are grocery owners in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the 1930s, during the time where Chinese Americans lived between very segregated whites and Blacks and they owned grocery stores to serve both communities.

Jack O’Connell plays Remmick, a charismatic and supernatural stranger, whose arrival ignites a shift in the allegiances within the community.

Jayme Lawson plays Pearline, who finds escape from her repressive married life in the blues music that fills the local establishments, and shows up at the opening night of the juke joint.

Hailee Steinfeld plays Mary, a woman with a complex past, now married into privilege, who returns to address some unfinished business with Stack.

Check Out The UB Spotlight with The Supporting Cast!