Joseph Tralongo is a playwright and screenwriter who approaches storytelling with a deep respect for film’s ability to distill human behavior into meaningful moments. His personal work- i.e. his plays, screenplays, and films- leans into semantic tension, moral ambiguity, and the quiet unraveling of social dynamics- not to preach, but to parse. For him, writing is a slow excavation of truth through craft. With a background in theatre and independent film, he brings a structural precision and dramatic instinct to every film he reviews. Hollywood Insider’s mission to champion substance over spectacle aligns with Joseph’s belief that storytelling should investigate, not dictate.
Jun 17, 2025
Table of Contents
From Athlete to Auteur
Ryan Coogler pursued his ambitions to be a football player well into college. However, while attending Saint Mary’s College of California, an English professor, Rosemary Graham, recognized his talent for storytelling and encouraged him to explore screenwriting. Coogler later transferred to Sacramento State and ultimately enrolled in the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he directed three short films: ‘Locks’ (2009), ‘Fig’ (2011), and ‘The Sculptor‘ (2011), earning him critical recognition early on.
Though Coogler transitioned from athlete to artist, the team-oriented mindset he developed as a football player has remained a defining element of his approach to the art form. From the start of his career, he has cultivated a creative circle that has grown with him, film after film. Actor Michael B. Jordan has starred in all five of Coogler’s feature films, prompting comparisons to legendary filmmaker-actor duos like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, or Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. Editor Michael P. Shawver and composer Ludwig Göransson– both USC classmates- have been equally instrumental, shaping the rhythm and emotional resonance of Coogler’s work.
Production designer Hannah Beachler has collaborated on all but one of his projects, earning an Academy Award for her work on ‘Black Panther‘ and continuing her contributions on ‘Sinners’. Producer Sev Ohanian, who first joined Coogler on ’Fruitvale Station’, has remained a trusted partner and co-founder of their production company, Proximity Media. Perhaps most personally, Zinzi Coogler– his wife- has become an essential figure in his creative life, co-producing several films and helping to steer the company’s broader artistic vision.
Together, this tight-knit collective has become the foundation of Coogler’s distinct Cinematic voice- one defined by trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to telling deeply rooted Black stories with global resonance.
Beyond his core team of collaborators, another defining consistency throughout Ryan Coogler’s filmography is thematic: the exploration of generational trauma, particularly through the lens of the sins of the father. This motif first appears in his debut feature, ‘Fruitvale Station,’ where Coogler presents a portrait of Oscar Grant in his final 24 hours. As Steven Boone of RogerEbert.com describes, the film offers “a sample of the daily routine and pressures” that shape Grant’s life, framing these moments in an artistically constructed narrative. Boone also notes that Grant’s “explosive side stems more from the fact that he shares little of his mental burdens with anyone.” However, Boone asserts that the film “knows better than…to wag its finger,” instead allowing the complexities of Grant’s character to unfold without overt moral judgment.
That exploration of flawed legacies continues in ‘Creed’, where Coogler centers the son of boxing icon Apollo Creed- a figure beloved both within the narrative world and by fans of the ‘Rocky’ franchise. Donny Creed is a child born from an affair, left to grow up in the long shadow of a father he never knew. The film questions: how does one carry a name they didn’t ask for, a legacy that feels more like a burden than a blessing?
In ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Wakanda Forever’, the motif takes deeper root. T’Challa must reckon with the choices of his father, King T’Chaka- choices that include the secret murder of his own brother, N’Jobu, and the abandonment of his nephew, Erik Killmonger. These actions sow a generational wound that eventually returns in the form of Killmonger’s rage, confronting the son with the sins of the father. In ‘Wakanda Forever’, the idea expands even further: the central antagonist, Namor, embodies a lineage of pain rooted in colonization. Though not a literal father, Namor inherits a worldview shaped by ancestral trauma. His militant protectionism of Talokan is vengeance handed down through history- a child of the colonized turned into a warrior, ready to wage war to prevent further loss. His wrath is generational.
This ongoing meditation finds one of its most surreal and potent expressions in Coogler’s latest film, ‘Sinners’. In a standout moment, the more bombastic of the twin brothers portrayed by Michael B. Jordan tells young Sammie (Miles Caton) that their father was considered “evil.” The guitar Sammie uses throughout the film- a conduit for his electric performances that channel African drummers, Afrofuturist guitar riffs, and even Chinese dancers- becomes more than a musical instrument. It is a metaphor: for inheritance, for burden, for memory. It is that which the past hands down, and the struggle to wield it for good, despite its dark origins. Sammie’s music, performed before a crowd of sharecroppers in a juke joint, becomes a supernatural beacon- accidentally attracting the vampires that stalk the narrative. Yet, in the end, as Stack (Jordan) reflects on that night, he tells Sammie that they were “free.” In that one word, the film circles back to the theme: what we inherit may be cursed, but it can also be reshaped. Even “evil” legacies can be transfigured into freedom.
The Financial and Cultural Success of ‘Black Panther’
Upon its release in February 2018, ‘Black Panther’ became a global phenomenon. The film grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, making it not only one of the highest-grossing Marvel movies of all time but also the first- and so far only- Marvel Cinematic Universe film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Domestically, it earned more than $700 million, placing it among the top-grossing films in U.S. history. And more than just box office triumphs, these films became cultural landmarks.
‘Black Panther’ received 7 Oscar nominations and won 3 Academy Awards: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. Its sequel, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ (2022), followed with a strong performance, grossing over $859 million worldwide, despite the challenges of recasting and reconfiguring the story after the death of lead actor Chadwick Boseman. It earned 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Angela Bassett- the first actor ever nominated for a performance in a Marvel film- and won Best Costume Design, making Ruth E. Carter the first Black woman to win multiple Oscars in any category. Critics praised both films for their direction, cultural significance, and emotional depth, with ‘Black Panther’ receiving a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
On a recent ‘Tonight Show’ appearance, Michael B. Jordan remarked that “[Ryan Coogler] hates compliments.” That makes me wonder how Coogler reacted to a certain article from Dr. Kalenda Eaton, a humanities scholar focused on African American western studies, where she stated in an article from the Indiana University Press, “Upon its debut, Marvel’s Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler, had without a doubt the most significantly positive black cultural impact worldwide since the 2008 election of President Barack Obama.”
With financial and critical success of this magnitude, what does one do next? Faced with such pressure, a director might feel the urge to take on a grand, sweeping epic, as Michael Cimino did with what turned into his legendarily colossal flop ‘Heaven’s Gate’.
Coogler’s Effective Yet Familiar Take on Vampire Horror
Instead of falling into the typical trap of crafting a sweeping, “important” epic- which many might have expected from a filmmaker of his stature, given praise like that from Dr. Kalenda Eaton- Ryan Coogler chose to take a different approach. He saw this as an opportunity to infuse diversity into a genre that is often seen as formulaic and predictable: the vampire horror shoot-’em-up. Coogler’s choice not only revitalizes the genre but also pushes the boundaries of multiracial casting, specifically within the context of a period piece.
‘Sinners’ is on its way to history. The supernatural shoot-em-up has already grossed over $272 million, making it the 6th horror film in history to do so. The film debuted on April 18, 2025, with a $48 million opening, marking the best debut for an original film since ‘Us’ (2019). In its second weekend, the film showed remarkable staying power, with a modest 4.9% drop, earning $45.7 million. By its third weekend, it brought in another $33 million, experiencing a slight 28% decline, which is exceptional for a horror release. The success of ‘Sinners’ has been attributed to strong word-of-mouth, Michael B. Jordan’s compelling performance, and its unique setting- blending African American folklore with supernatural horror in 1930s Mississippi. With its current momentum, ‘Sinners’ is also closing in on the domestic box office total of ‘Gravity’, which pulled in $274 million back in 2013, which made it the highest-grossing original film of the 2010s. Now, with just a few thousand dollars separating the two, ‘Sinners’ is poised to break that decade-old record and become the top-earning original movie released since then.
When it comes to “bankability,” those numbers don’t lie. It’s one thing when success is driven by a well-established franchise like with ‘Creed’ or ‘Black Panther’/‘Wakanda Forever’. Critics and skeptics may argue that the franchises and star power are the key factors behind the success. However, with ‘Sinners’- Coogler’s first entirely original script- charting those kinds of numbers, the financial success speaks for itself.
Although ‘Sinners’ marks Coogler’s first wholly original film- in that it is based on his own script and not an adaptation of any existing source material- the concept itself is not entirely novel. At first glance, the film might seem like a clear descendant of something like ‘From Dusk Till Dawn.’ However, after seeing the film, one could draw a stronger comparison to ‘The Evil Dead,’ particularly in the way it centers around a group of people who venture to a remote location looking for a good time, only to find themselves confronted by an evil that infects most of them.
There is an inextricable connection between the blues and demons throughout American folklore. A cultural thread that can be traced back to the legendary tale of Robert Johnson. According to this legend, Johnson made a deal with the devil at a crossroads to gain unparalleled mastery of the guitar. While the veracity of this legend is debated, it has become an essential part of Johnson’s legacy and blues music folklore, setting the stage for the thematic undercurrent of ‘Sinners.’
One of the film’s most surprising visual inspirations comes from ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,’ where Death’s red-glowing eyes influenced the vampires’ defining feature in ‘Sinners.’ This unanticipated reference proves how Coogler pulls from a variety of sources to craft his own unique vision.
Critic Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com bemoaned the fact that ‘Sinners’ “conforms to genre conventions.” But what’s wrong with that? Coogler doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel to make a solid, enjoyable movie like ‘Sinners.’ It’s a streamlined monster battle that doesn’t get bogged down in the minutiae of vampire lore, which ultimately makes it all the more effective as a hang-out movie.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc.
Joseph Tralongo is a playwright and screenwriter who approaches storytelling with a deep respect for film’s ability to distill human behavior into meaningful moments. His personal work- i.e. his plays, screenplays, and films- leans into semantic tension, moral ambiguity, and the quiet unraveling of social dynamics- not to preach, but to parse. For him, writing is a slow excavation of truth through craft. With a background in theatre and independent film, he brings a structural precision and dramatic instinct to every film he reviews. Hollywood Insider’s mission to champion substance over spectacle aligns with Joseph’s belief that storytelling should investigate, not dictate.
Joseph Tralongo is a playwright and screenwriter who approaches storytelling with a deep respect for film’s ability to distill human behavior into meaningful moments. His personal work- i.e. his plays, screenplays, and films- leans into semantic tension, moral ambiguity, and the quiet unraveling of social dynamics- not to preach, but to parse. For him, writing is a slow excavation of truth through craft. With a background in theatre and independent film, he brings a structural precision and dramatic instinct to every film he reviews. Hollywood Insider’s mission to champion substance over spectacle aligns with Joseph’s belief that storytelling should investigate, not dictate.
Joseph Tralongo is a playwright and screenwriter who approaches storytelling with a deep respect for film’s ability to distill human behavior into meaningful moments. His personal work- i.e. his plays, screenplays, and films- leans into semantic tension, moral ambiguity, and the quiet unraveling of social dynamics- not to preach, but to parse. For him, writing is a slow excavation of truth through craft. With a background in theatre and independent film, he brings a structural precision and dramatic instinct to every film he reviews. Hollywood Insider’s mission to champion substance over spectacle aligns with Joseph’s belief that storytelling should investigate, not dictate.
Limited Time Offer: Join for FREE today and get unlimited
The Hollywood Insider is against gossip and scandal, fully focused on substance & meaningful entertainment.
We choose quality over quantity, compassion over oppression, wisdom over intelligence.
Newsletter Subscription
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
