Sinners’ Costumes: A Surprising Marvel Connection Revealed

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Ryan Coogler’s film titled Sinners made an impressive debut at the box office, though not all aspects of it were entirely novel. Featuring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, the movie portrays their encounters with vampires in Mississippi during 1932. The film premiered on April 18th and unexpectedly gained popularity among audiences.

The film generated a remarkable $365 million in revenue while only costing approximately $95 million to produce, demonstrating that unique films can thrive even in the post-pandemic era when budgets are meticulously controlled. It’s expected to shine at the Oscars next year, considering it has garnered an exceptional 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a similarly impressive 96% rating on Popcornmeter.

In a chat with ScreenCrush, producer Sev Ohanian shared insights about the making of ‘Sinners’. Contrary to popular belief, the film’s distinctive costumes weren’t initially designed for it. Instead, costume designer Ruth Carter actually created them for Marvel Studios’ delayed Blade project within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here’s what Ohanian said on the matter:

Ruth Carter had been involved with the production of the Blade film, although I’m unsure about its current schedule. Earlier plans for this movie were to explore a period similar to that depicted in Sinners. Remarkably, she owned a warehouse filled with clothes suitable for that era, and unexpectedly, they found themselves needing to shoot immediately. Marvel graciously allowed them to purchase the filming rights at an affordable price, and many of our background actors are now wearing those costumes. So, here’s a big thank you to Marvel for making this happen.

What This Means For Sinners and Blade

Blade Has Been Completely Reimagined

It’s clear that the sinners in the film found advantage in Blade’s frequent confusion and delays, given that its costumes were undeniably one of the movie’s standout features. Each design was meticulously crafted to be both historically authentic and visually captivating, seamlessly complementing the gritty and authentic atmosphere that Coogler was building. Moreover, each suit is distinctively unique, allowing for effortless portrayal of every character’s individual personality.

Regrettably, despite the fact that Sinners was able to achieve success by leveraging its costumes, the film Blade continues to linger in development limbo, as there have been few signs of progress regarding its production. It was initially unveiled at Comic-Con 2019 with Mahershala Ali slated to portray the Daywalker. The initial plan was for filming to commence in 2022, but instead, it has faced numerous delays due to frequent changes among the production crew.

In the original production, Bassam Tariq (from ‘Mogul Mowgli’) was initially appointed as director for the project. However, he eventually stepped down from that role and was succeeded by Yann Demange, who is also known for his work on ‘Lovecraft Country’. Interestingly, Demange also departed from the ‘Blade’ project scheduled for 2024, leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in a state of uncertainty. Previously planned to debut in 2025, the ‘Blade’ production seemed to have been put on hold. Instead, another project named ‘Sinners’ took inspiration from its costumes and created an entirely new narrative, while ‘Blade’, for now, remains untouched and undeveloped.

Our Take On Sinner’s Blade Influence

This Is Proof Of Ryan Coogler’s Adaptability

In simpler terms, since Blade’s announcement happened in 2019, it’s reasonable to assume that the costumes were created afterward, given that they would typically come after the scripting process had begun. Meanwhile, Sinners was produced, released, and has even used Blade’s costumes during the time Marvel spent just holding onto the franchise. To add to the problem, this happened before Marvel had any significant progress with Blade.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) really benefits from completing the ‘Blade’ film, given that it’s currently teetering on the brink of losing its momentum. Over the 2020s, it’s faced numerous box office challenges and has been met with some less-than-stellar reviews. However, if a fresh concept like ‘Sinners’ could capture the world’s imagination, then the MCU stands a good chance of rebounding with a comparable tale.

Instead of choosing to postpone Blade indefinitely and overhaul its entire setting, it seems this decision has primarily benefited the creators of Sinners. This undoubtedly brings joy to those who cherished Coogler’s recent film, but it wasn’t quite the outcome Marvel expected when they appointed Ruth Carter for costume design.

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2025-07-05 18:27