Surprising connection between horror hit Sinners and unmade Marvel film revealed

Marvel’s troubled ‘Blade’ movie helped director Ryan Coogler make his successful horror film

Fans will be surprised to learn of the connection between the unmade Marvel film Blade and this year’s hit horror movie Sinners.

Sev Ohanian, who served as a producer on Sinners, revealed the connection during a recent appearance on Screencrush: The Podcast.

The 38-year-old – who is also a producer on the recent Marvel TV series Ironheart –thanked both Marvel Studios and seasoned costume designer Ruth Carter, who has worked with Spike Lee throughout her career and won two Oscars for her work on Black Panther (2018) and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).

Ohanian explained: “Ruth Carter was working on the Blade movie that ended up not shooting. At one point, that movie was going to deal with, and she’s talked about this before, but at one point that film was going to deal with the past around the same era [that Sinners is set]."

He continued: “She happened to have a warehouse full of period-appropriate clothes, and it was like, ‘Yo, we got to shoot this movie like tomorrow.’ And Marvel was generous enough and kind enough to let us basically purchase it at price.”

Ohanian went on to reveal that most of the outfits Sinners took from Marvel were worn by background actors and extras, saving the costume crew hours of work.

Michael B Jordan in ‘Sinners’ (Warner Bros)

Blade was first announced at the 2019 Comic-Con with Mahershala Ali in the title role. The film, however, has been hit by a string of setbacks ever since, including the exit of two directors and an indefinitely postponed release date.

The production has been so troubled that Wesley Snipes, who originally Blade in 1998, poked fun at the reboot.

In November, Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, attempted to provide an update on the status of the movie, stating: “We love the character, we love Mahershala’s version of him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project or are still trying to figure out how it fits into our schedule, we let the public know.”

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He assured fans: “I can tell you that the character will be coming to the MCU.”

Mahershala Ali will star as the titular character in the eventual reboot of Blade (Getty Images)

Sinners, meanwhile, has proven a runaway success, earning more than $364m (£266m) worldwide. Directed by Coogler, the horror period piece stars Michael B Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jack O’Connell.

Coogler reportedly struck a deal with the film’s studio Warner Bros, dictating that he will own Sinners after 25 years – a concession that is virtually unheard of within Hollywood, which means Coogler could begin to receive royalties from streaming services and TV broadcasts of the film that would usually go to a production studio.