Twin Michael B Jordans stand together against in front of the old saw mill in Sinners.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
There have been some awesome director and actor pairings over the years, like Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro, Spike Lee & Denzel Washington and Greta Gerwig & Saoirse Ronan. A pair of collaborators who’ve emerged as power players over the past decade or so are Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. Since 2013, the two have made five films together, with each one receiving varying levels of praise. Their latest flick is the critically acclaimed Sinners and, on the heels of that Coogler is opening up about his relationship with Jordan.
Very few creatives manage to forge a special bond like Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler’s. Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Sinners make up quite a streak. So what’s the key to the firm partnership between the two men? Coogler discussed that during an interview with BallisLife (which is available on YouTube). When asked if he and Jordan have a player-coach dynamic, Coogler likened it to that of two iconic NBA players:
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Few basketball duos are as iconic as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as the two athletes dominated the NBA in the ‘90s, during which they won six championships. Considering how impactful they were within the sports world, I think it’s definitely appropriate to compare them to the always-sharp Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler. Sure, Jordan and Coogler don’t have six championship titles to show for their work. What they do possess, though, are five critically acclaimed films and a slew of impressive box office receipts.
As a professional basketball fan, I really dig the Oakland native’s reference to the Chicago Bulls icons and hall of farmers. What I really love to hear, though, is the love that Ryan Coogler has for his frequent collaborator. Later in his interview, Coogler shared more thoughts on how he and his creative partner are similar and the way in which that manifests on their sets:
If you ask me, that’s an ideal way to work and, by the looks of it, that methodology certainly yields incredible results. Most recently, Sinners has proven to be a box office anomaly, and it’s also penetrated the cultural zeitgeist in a way that only a few movies can. The film could ultimately prove to be quite profitable for Ryan Coogler, though his recent interviews appear to suggest that he’s just happy his genre-bending film is connecting with the general public.
I’m hopeful that Sinners continues to reach audiences and of course, that the Coogler/Jordan partnership continues to flourish as time goes on. They have a level of camaraderie that’s vital to a successful collaboration and, as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen dominated on the court, I’m confident that Jordan and Coogler will have that level of success in Hollywood. In the meantime, check out the filmmakers’ vampire thriller film, which is now playing in theaters alongside other titles from the 2025 movie schedule.