There have been some awesome director and actor pairings over the years, like Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro, Spike Lee & Denzel Washington and Greta Gerwig & Saoirse Ronan. A pair of collaborators who’ve emerged as power players over the past decade or so are Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. Since 2013, the two have made five films together, with each one receiving varying levels of praise. Their latest flick is the critically acclaimed Sinners and, on the heels of that Coogler is opening up about his relationship with Jordan.
Very few creatives manage to forge a special bond like Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler’s. Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Sinners make up quite a streak. So what’s the key to the firm partnership between the two men? Coogler discussed that during an interview with BallisLife (which is available on YouTube). When asked if he and Jordan have a player-coach dynamic, Coogler likened it to that of two iconic NBA players:
I would say it’s more like Mike [Jordan] and [Scottie] Pippen. You know what I’m saying? We just kinda know what the other one needs, and we got a specific rhythm. And we’ve become friends and a part of each other’s lives, and we know what’s important to the other outside of filmmaking. I know what’s happening with his sister and his brother and his mom. Where we really click is where that’s what matters to us. Filmmaking is obviously our calling, and it’s our career. But it’s all in service of the family and the community. That’s what we talk about, we link up.
Few basketball duos are as iconic as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as the two athletes dominated the NBA in the ‘90s, during which they won six championships. Considering how impactful they were within the sports world, I think it’s definitely appropriate to compare them to the always-sharp Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler. Sure, Jordan and Coogler don’t have six championship titles to show for their work. What they do possess, though, are five critically acclaimed films and a slew of impressive box office receipts.
As a professional basketball fan, I really dig the Oakland native’s reference to the Chicago Bulls icons and hall of farmers. What I really love to hear, though, is the love that Ryan Coogler has for his frequent collaborator. Later in his interview, Coogler shared more thoughts on how he and his creative partner are similar and the way in which that manifests on their sets:
We try to move through the world the same way, like leading with kindness, leading with love. In our industry, bro, unfortunately, [those things are rare], especially for [Michael] being a movie star, you feel me? So I know, I work with Mike, my number one on the call sheet, he’s gonna treat everybody with dignity. He’s gonna talk to assistants, he’s gonna talk to the producer the same way he talks to the AD. He’s gonna know people’s names. He’s gonna respect women on set.
If you ask me, that’s an ideal way to work and, by the looks of it, that methodology certainly yields incredible results. Most recently, Sinners has proven to be a box office anomaly, and it’s also penetrated the cultural zeitgeist in a way that only a few movies can. The film could ultimately prove to be quite profitable for Ryan Coogler, though his recent interviews appear to suggest that he’s just happy his genre-bending film is connecting with the general public.
I’m hopeful that Sinners continues to reach audiences and of course, that the Coogler/Jordan partnership continues to flourish as time goes on. They have a level of camaraderie that’s vital to a successful collaboration and, as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen dominated on the court, I’m confident that Jordan and Coogler will have that level of success in Hollywood. In the meantime, check out the filmmakers’ vampire thriller film, which is now playing in theaters alongside other titles from the 2025 movie schedule.