Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a cinematic masterpiece that will continue to receive critical and commercial acclaim for decades to come. And while Coogler says that there’s no plans for a sequel, prequel, nor spinoff to this bluesy vampire saga, that isn’t stopping fans from wanting to know more about this universe. That’s especially true for the film’s twin protagonists Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan. What happened to them in the past? Ryan Coogler indulged fans during an interview with Proximity Media and revealed the backstory for Smoke and Stack, giving us a good piece of Sinners lore.
As we know from the film, the brothers were wrapped in a fast, dangerous, and ultimately lucrative lifestyle in Chicago for seven years. They came home to start a juke joint for Black folks to have a safe place to hang out and let down their hair. We also knew that they were World War I vets, but Coogler reveals that there’s so much more to Smoke and Stack’s backstory. “They killed their father, hid out at Mary’s mom’s place, then went to New York and joined the military. Went to fight in France, and they went back home for a little bit. Mary was older, so that was when Stack and Mary happened,” said Coogler.
I mean… them killing their father for whatever reasons checks out for them. They don’t like a threat at all. Coogler also explained that when they came home, that’s when Smoke and Annie got together. Stack and Mary took off for Little Rock, but after Annie’s pregnancy loss, the brothers basically left their women and moved to Chicago. That certainly explains a lot of Mary’s anger with Stack outside of him missing her mother’s funeral. And, Annie had every right to be upset with Smoke who left her when she needed him the most.
Mr. Coogler, I respect your choice to make this a standalone film. But please give us more somehow. A graphic novel about Smoke and Stack’s adventures in Chicago or about the native vampire hunting collective. Maybe even a really nice coffee table book with the film’s scripts and lore. People will open their wallets and purses very quickly.