Does the show ‘Sinners’ depict a real-life story?

Ryan Coogler’s latest movie, “Sinners,” has been creating a buzz ever since it debuted on the big screen. In its first weekend in theaters, it raked in an impressive $48 million in the United States alone.

The visually striking horror film features Michael B. Jordan in the lead roles of twins Smoke and Stack. They play a duo of criminals who come back to their hometown in Mississippi after finding success in Chicago. Their attempt to establish a safe haven in the form of a juke joint, amidst prevalent racism towards Black people in the 1930s, is disrupted when vampires show up to stake their claim on the town of Clarksdale and its unique culture.

Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and Miles Caton also star.

This eerie movie tackles various themes with the help of its unforgettable ensemble cast. “Sinners” sheds light on the harsh realities of living in the deeply prejudiced American South during the early 1900s. However, many are curious to know if this gripping narrative is inspired by true events.

Coogler opened up about what inspired his approach to the irresistible film in a revealing interview with Indiewire, where he shared just how much his family inspired him while writing and directing the film.

Well, no, not exactly. Last time we checked, vampires are not real. (Or ARE THEY!?!?!)

That said, the project definitely drew inspiration from real life events happening during the 1930s. Speaking to Indiewire, Coogler described the project as a “heart on the sleeve” feat.

The Black Panther director explained that he was heavily influenced by stories his late Uncle James shared about growing up in Mississippi. After his uncle passed away from cancer while Coogler was filming Creed in Philadelphia, the filmmaker began listening to blues music, his uncle’s favorite genre, to cope with the loss.

“It all started with the fact that I would listen to that blues music to think about my uncle, and I thought, ‘Man, who was he thinking about when he was listening to it?’ Did he listen to that [music] and was it people that he was conjuring?” he said. He added that he “skipped over the American South” when reconnecting with his ancestors while visiting Africa for the Black Panther films. But he chose to tap into his “trans-generational” community to hear stories about their experiences working, dating, and living in Mississippi around that time.

Amongst other things, Coogler added that he asked his grandmother about her first date with his grandfather as part of his research. “It made me realize the youthful nature of these people, their virility and vitality,” he said, adding that it heavily inspired how present the film made the people of Clarksdale feel.

The city of Clarksdale, Mississippi, also has a story of its own that may have inspired Sinners. According to The New Yorker, Clarksdale is the birthplace of blues, and is the city where real life bluesman Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for stardom and artistry. (For more on this, you should check out ReMastered: Devil At The Crossroads on Netflix, or even Crossroads, the ’80s era Ralph Macchio movie where the Karate Kid himself goes toe-to-toe with the Devil.)

One of the movie’s main characters, Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), definitely seems to be at least partially based on Johnson. So much so, Coogler cast the legendary guitarist Buddy Guy to play an older Sammie Moore in the mid-credits scene.

This scene shows Sammie leading a successful music career in Chicago in 1992 when he runs into two people he never thought he’d see again. Guy, who Coogler revealed was his Uncle James’ favorite musician, reportedly took no convincing to sign onto the film.

Sinners marks Coogler’s first original film after successfully tackling two major intellectual properties – Black Panther and Creed. It’s no surprise Coogler came out swinging with this epic genre film that cements him as a filmmaker who can do it all.

Sinners is playing now in theaters.