For the past month or so, various Hollywood studios have been competing for a brand-new, highly secretive project from director Ryan Coogler and his frequent leading man, Michael B. Jordan. Originally rumored to be a vampire movie (and possibly a period piece), the project has finally found a home with Warner Bros., and today we’re learning a bit more about what it might entail.
Here’s what they’re saying over at The Hollywood Reporter:
“Details are being kept hush-hush, but according to sources, the project has been described as a period thriller (some have said it takes place in the Jim Crow-era South) involving the undead. Some sources have said it also contains anime influences — Jordan is known to be a massive fan — but it is unclear how those influences are weaved into the project.”
The first thing worth noting here: THR’s report does not contain the word “vampire,” and the description above instead goes with the term “the undead.” From where we’re standing, that could mean zombies just as easily as it could mean vampires, but because all the earliest reports and rumors regarding this project focused on the latter, we’re gonna go ahead and assume that’s the case until proven otherwise.
Also worth noting is the mention of the film taking place in the “Jim Crow-era South.” Up until now, all reports regarding Coogler and Jordan’s latest collaboration hinted towards the fact that the film would be a period piece, but this is the first time we’re hearing which period it might be taking place in. A vampire movie set in the Jim Crow-era South sounds like a very compelling idea, indeed.
THR’s report goes on to say that Coogler and Jordan’s film, which has yet to receive an official title, is rumored to begin filming this April in New Orleans. If that’s the case, we should probably expect to hear more about Coogler’s latest (which he also scripted), from a more specific logline to casting news. Stay tuned for those updates as they roll in, folks! Plenty more to come.
