'Sinners' is Ryan Coogler's tribute to ONE of his late family members

Ryan Coogler’s directorial Sinners is a special tribute to the filmmaker’s family member.

The 2025 movie is an American supernatural starring Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld.

The horror flick written by Ryan follows the story of twin brother Smoke and Stack, who return to their hometown in Mississippi to start again, leaving their troubled lives behind.

But they are completely unaware that a greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

While talking about the film, the 38-year-old director shared that Sinners has a personal connection him and his family. 

It is a special tribute to his late uncle James, who loved the old-school blues that featured in the film when George Buddy Guy makes an appearance.

"I wrote what I thought he'd think would be cool”, added Coogler.

He told Entertainment Weekly, "He's the only artist that my uncle would consistently get dressed for and go see a lot."

The filmmaker had a close relationship with Uncle James, who died when Ryan was in the middle of the post-production of his 2015 film, Creed. But he still has colorful memories of spending quality time with him.