When filmmaker Ryan Coogler set out to create “Sinners“—his bold and genre-blending new feature—he pulled from a deep well of personal and cultural inspiration. While the film taps into the haunting spirit of the Mississippi Delta and its blues legacy, Coogler shared with The Movie Blog that Sinners carries another geographic heartbeat: the city of Chicago.
“Sinners is a Chicago movie as well as it is a Mississippi Delta movie,” Coogler told us. “You know, the Delta blues… it’s like Highway 61. It’s like the artery.”
For Coogler, the connection between Chicago and the South isn’t just musical—it’s familial. During our conversation, he revealed that his wife’s father, a lifelong Chicagoan, played a special role in the early development of the film.
“My wife’s father is from Chicago. He’s 93 years old,” Coogler said. “And yeah, he read the script before we took it out and got feedback—and he gave it his stamp of approval.”
That stamp held weight. Coogler’s admiration for Chicago culture runs deep, particularly its historic connection to blues music. As many music historians note, Chicago became the northern epicenter of the Delta blues after the Great Migration brought Southern Black musicians to the city. With Sinners so steeped in the traditions of Delta blues, it’s no surprise Coogler sees Chicago as an essential part of the film’s identity.
“I’m excited about playing it here,” he said of the film’s upcoming screenings in Chicago. “I’m really interested to see how it plays here.”
“Sinners” merges horror, history, and soul-stirring music in a way that feels both intimate and epic. It’s a film born of two regions that shaped the Black American experience—the mysticism of the Mississippi Delta and the urban electricity of Chicago. For Coogler, honoring both was key to telling this story right.
As the film prepares for release, audiences in Chicago—and beyond—will soon see how these layered influences pulse through every scene.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer(s): Ryan Coogler
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller and Delroy Lindo
Sinners comes to theaters April 18th, 2025. Be sure to follow E-Man’s Movie Reviews on Facebook, Subscribe on YouTube, or follow me on Twitter/IG @EmansReviews for even more movie news and reviews!
