On Thursday, for the first time, Michael B. Jordan became an Oscar nominee.
Amid a record-breaking 16 nominations for Sinners, Jordan is being celebrated for his double-duty role as twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler‘s period vampire film.
Speaking to Deadline shortly after the announcement, he said, “To be a part of a project that will live in cinema history right up there with the movies that have inspired me as an artist — it is really a surreal feeling, and it’s a testament to the movie, to every piece of the puzzle that went into making this film.”
Recently Coogler had been a guest on the podcast Good Hang with Amy Poehler and had recounted the story of first pitching Sinners to Jordan over the phone, only to be met with a long silence. So, what was Jordan thinking during that long pause? What was going on?
Jordan laughed. “I think it was because I was going to pitch him another project, I think I was all geared up and ready to go on this idea and this thought about this project, and then he acknowledged it, loved it, but then and re-pitched me that [Sinners] idea. So the silence for me was like, f–k, that’s really good. That’s really good.”
It’s a testament to the empathy and the humanity that Ryan pours into the world and the movies that he makes, that forever remain timeless and somehow become a mirror to the world.
Michael B. Jordan
Also, there was the feeling of this has to happen now, Jordan said. “Knowing the windows that we had to hit and just my mind kind of went through, this is one that has to go right now. This is something that we have to do. Immediately, it jumped to the top of the queue.”
Was some of that urgency because the story also felt timely due to the state of the world? “In hindsight, looking at where the world is today, versus when we made that project and how universal the movie feels, even though it’s so specific? It’s a testament to the empathy and the humanity that Ryan pours into the world and the movies that he makes, that forever remain timeless and somehow become a mirror to the world and to the audience of what’s going on today. Sometimes you just get it right. It is life imitating art, imitating life, and that gray area, that middle ground, is where that lies.”
Michael B. Jordan as Smoke and Stack in ‘Sinners’
Warner Bros.
As for a genre film getting so much unusual Oscar recognition, Jordan said, laughing, “Me personally, I don’t watch horror movies. When I grew up, I was kind of scared of horror movies.” But of course he isn’t at all surprised by Coogler’s success. “Look, it’s not Ryan’s first time being the first at doing something,” he said. “He was the first Marvel film with [Black] Panther to get nominated for Best Picture. He’s been breaking boundaries and stepping outside of those boxes. That’s what he’s always done.”
Jordan is currently hard at work directing his upcoming film The Thomas Crown Affair, in which he stars opposite Taylor Russell. Previous versions of the film saw Pierce Brosnan in the lead role as an art thief player (1999) and Steve McQueen (1968). Jordan will also produce via his production banner Outlier Society alongside Elizabeth Raposo.
Clockwise from left: Michael B. Jordan, the original 1968 ‘Thomas Crown Affair’ with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway and the 1999 remake with Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan
Tayo Kuku Jr.; Everett Collection; Getty Images
“I’m getting ready to go the edit right now,” Jordan said. “So I’m going to be celebrating in a dark room, cutting together a movie for 2027. That’s a baby of mine that I’ve been wanting to make for a really long time, so I’m excited about it. I think it’s not going to be what exactly people are expecting as well. When you’re re-imagining something, it’s not a remake. It’s not a reboot. It’s a re-imagination, and I’m really excited about it because I really care about this movie and its title.”
Meredith Averill will serve as showrunner on the upcoming ‘Fourth Wing‘ series produced by Jordan’s Outlier Society
Getty
Also, Jordan’s Outlier Society is producing a new television adaptation of Fourth Wing for Amazon MGM Studios, based on the fan favorite dragon-rider romance book series by Rebecca Yarros, who will serve as executive producer. Meredith Averill (Wednesday, Jane the Virgin, The Good Wife) is attached as showrunner.
“We are making sure that this is going to be a exciting show that delivers on all of the things the fans want and some of the things that they won’t be expecting either,” Jordan said. “But trust me, I know how beloved this franchise IP is and we’re diligently… We’re in the lab, we’re cooking up. We got it. It’s coming. It’s early stages, but I feel how much people care about this one. It’s not lost on us.”
