What advice did Christopher Nolan give Ryan Coogler for Sinners?

Sinners director Ryan Coogler recently spoke about the advice he received from Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan.

Ryan Coogler, who started his filmmaking journey through small indie projects, got a big break with 2018's Black Panther. Its critical and commercial success made him a household name in Hollywood. Coogler's talent was on full display in this visually stunning epic that became a cultural milestone in its own right.

Coogler followed this MCU project with its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The 2022 film was a somber affair that mourned the death of King T'Challa. Now, he is returning with Sinners, which will also combine grave historical chapters in a stunning spectacle.

During a recent interview, he went into detail regarding his creative decisions - including the format he chose for his new film. While speaking about using a 65mm film, he cited Christopher Nolan's advice. Here's what he said,

“I got advice from Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, who are masters of the form. It was our first time working with large-format photography. We were doing something that hasn’t been done before, combining Ultra Panavision, which is 2.76:1, very wide, with the full frame IMAX film.”

Ryan Coogler cites Christopher Nolan's Advice for ***Sinners*: Details explored**

Ryan Coogler, director of the hit movie "Black Panther", in Washington, DC. (Image via Getty)

Christopher Nolan has always been vocal about his use to shoot his movies on film over digital. He has advocated for its superior image quality and its depth. The Oscar-winning director has also famously used the IMAX format for shooting many of his projects. So, it doesn't come as a surprise that he advised Black Panther director Ryan Coogler about the use of this format for his upcoming film, Sinners.

The film's official synopsis on IMDb reads:

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

During a recent interview, Coogler mentioned Nolan's advice and his decision to combine Ultra Panavision with Imax photography to make the film immersive. Coogler called shooting on 65mm film an incredible experience. While speaking about this big-screen spectacle, he said:

“It’s my love letter to the theatrical experience, of watching an exhilarating movie in a packed house full of strangers, not knowing what’s going to happen next. So many incredible films have given me that feeling, and so I wanted to try my hand at giving it back to the audience.”

The IMAX film format is not the only thread that connects these two acclaimed filmmakers. Turns out, their upcoming films will be scored by music composer, Ludwig Göransson. This Swedish composer has won two Oscars until now - one for his work on Nolan's Oppenheimer and the second for Coogler's Black Panther. He will join them again in creative collaborations for Sinners and The Odyssey.

Sinners will debut in the US theaters on April 18, 2025.