Did Ryan Coogler tease a 'Sinners' trilogy?

We've got a theory.
 By 
Alex Humphreys
 and 
Kristy Puchko
 on 
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A photo composite of the 'Sinners' cast behind the text "The Genius Behind Sinners"
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Let's talk about the genius behind Sinners. 

On the surface, the hit movie from Ryan Coogler is about Preacher Boy resisting a vampire. But it's a film packed with history and lore. One where the closer you look, the deeper it gets. And there's a bigger story you might have missed. 

The film follows Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), a musician fighting off Remmick (Jack O'Connell), a bloodsucking villain who is building a hive mind coven. 

But if you listen closely to the opening monologue, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) talks about a legend that exists in ancient Ireland, Choctaw land, and West Africa: 

"There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death. This gift can bring healing to their communities, but it also attracts evil."

That evil? Remmick. And that gift? Sammie's song, which literally conjures people from across time to dance at the juke joint.

Fans have speculated that Remmick might also be one of those mythic music makers, but as hypnotic as his Irish song and jig is, it doesn't pierce the veil like Sammie's tune. 

However, the gold coins, the accent, and the fact that Remmick knows exactly what he's looking for suggests Remmick is from a culture that knows of the legend. He may not just be here to feed, but rather, trying to find a way back to his people, to his past.

And Sammie's voice might be his ticket.

And it goes even deeper. Early in the film, Remmick was hunted by a band of Choctaw men. So was Remmick targeting their version of Sammie, a fire keeper with that same dangerous gift? 

All of this raises the real question: Could Ryan Coogler be setting up something much bigger? 

A prequel about Remmick's origin? A sequel about those Choctaw vampire hunters?  Basically, a whole trilogy hiding in plain sight. Coogler has said to Ebony he wrote it as a "finished thing."

But let's be real. Doors like this don't always close.

Sinners is now in theaters.

Topics Film

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Alex Humphreys

Senior Video Producer

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Kristy Puchko

Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she's an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.


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