Watch: Michael B. Jordan Battles Southern Fried Vampires In First Trailer For 'Sinners'

By Andrew Sanford | Film | September 24, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | September 24, 2024 |

Mahershala Ali was announced as the MCU’s Blade in 2019. That’s a slam-dunk idea! Blade is a badass black man who is half-vampire and battles other vampires with a sword. The character has already been proven to be financially and culturally successful. Taking an actor like Ali and giving him a shot at the same magic seemed like a no-brainer. However, that film has yet to be put in front of cameras. Instead, it’s been over five years of starts and stops.

In January of this year, it was announced that Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan would be making a vampire film of their own, recently titled Sinners. The film is set to take place in the Jim Crow-era South in the 1930s. It features Michael B. Jordan playing twins who return to their hometown and deal with a horrific event (with vampires). The film is set to release in March, barely a year after it was announced, and now we even have a trailer.

The quick turnaround of this film cannot be understated. While I doubt the MCU would have touched on any social messaging like we can assume this one will, it is insane that Coogler and Jordan were able to get this film off the ground so quickly while the MCU drags their feet. Sinners was produced at Warner Brothers for Zod’s sake! They aren’t exactly running a tight ship over there.

Part of me wonders if Coogler saw what was happening at Marvel and decided to do what they couldn’t. A report from back in June claimed that the MCU’s Blade was almost set in the 1920s. That idea was eventually scrapped, but Coogler is no stranger to Kevin Feige’s offices. He could have easily heard what was planned and then abandoned by Marvel and set out to do it on his own.

This is all conjecture and speculation! Still, it feels odd that while one studio struggles to crack a code that seems obvious to everyone else, a former employee struck out and did it themselves. No muss. No fuss. No cinematic universe. Just a cool-looking movie about black men battling vampires. At least someone can pull that together.