Ryan Coogler’s Sinners featuring Michael B. Jordan is a period supernatural horror drama set in the 1930s. Revolving around twin brothers who return to their hometown for a fresh start, the film unleashes vampires in the deep South of America. Award-winning composer Ludwig Goransson, who also serves as an executive producer, was tasked with creating the soundscape for the project. In quotes shared exclusively with Filmfare, he describes some of the influences behind the music.
Opening up about the references for the film’s music, Goransson shares, “Ryan was constantly sending me music. Lots of recordings from the 1930s and ’40s, specifically the music of Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, etc. A few of the songs he shared with me were already written into the script, like Pick Poor Robin Clean, for example. We spent a lot of time talking about the songs from the script, in particular and the role they played in the story. This back and forth with Ryan was incredibly helpful for me and was a large part of our creative process on this one.”
He also heaps praise on legendary musician Buddy Guy. He says, “Having Buddy Guy in the film was an opportunity of a lifetime. Having someone of that stature and of that calibre was a huge deal. For me, this was personal. My dad always played blues around the house, so I felt like I grew up with the Three Kings – Freddie, B.B., specifically Albert King (who was my dad’s favourite guitar player).”
Goransson further shed light on fleshing out the sounds that are specific to the period the film is set in and the cultural background. He explains, “It was helpful for me to keep in mind that, at the time, country and blues were two different things. It was the record labels and the industry that separated it for different types of people, like White music and Black music. So, we wanted the music to be as authentic as possible, and respect the history and pay homage to these artists. We all put in a lot of research. It was really extensive, but that was the only way to do it justice.”
Sinners, which also features Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku and more, releases in theatres on April 18, 2025.
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