Ryan Coogler’s Sinners likely won’t get a live-action sequel anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean it can’t continue in a different format. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners stands out in a landscape dominated by superhero spectacles and franchise sequels by delivering a self-contained and fully original story. With just one movie, Sinners creates a rich world filled with potential for future stories.

Ryan Coogler chose to make Sinners specifically as a break from franchise filmmaking, coming off the massive production scale of the Creed and Black Panther movies. Coogler wanted to tell a personal story free from studio universe-building. For the same reason, a Sinners sequel seems unlikely in the near future. Fortunately, Sinners‘ universe doesn’t need another live-action movie to continue growing.

Ryan Coogler Confirms A Sinners Comic Sequel Is Possible

Sinners Could Continue In Comic Book Form Sooner Than Expected

Sinners' main cast of characters dance in Blu-Ray poster art — Sinners’ main cast of characters dance in Blu-Ray poster art

In an episode of CBR’s official Heroes Journey podcast, Sinners director Ryan Coogler was asked whether he has been tapped to expand his new movie universe. Coogler reveals that, indeed, not only has he started early talks of a Sinners continuation, but he has also considered the idea of expanding Sinners‘ world in comic book form. Coogler says:

“A lot of the storyboard artists that I work with are comic book fans. One of my boy artists had brought up that somebody had asked him about it. It was Louis (Gonzales). Somebody had asked Louis… they were looking at his boards and going, ‘Hey, is there a comic book here?’ So yeah, it’s a question that’s been floated before, for sure.”

Even though Sinners isn’t exactly the kind of movie that spawns a franchise, it holds a lot of potential for future stories. A direct sequel following the main characters, a prequel following the twins in WWI, or a spinoff focusing on Remmick or the Choctaw hunters are all movie-worthy ideas that could also work in comic book format. Franchises like Predator, Godzilla, Supernatural, and even The Rocky Horror Picture Show have recently made the jump into the comics.

Sinners Seems Like The Kind Of Movie That’s Based On A Cult Comic

Michael B Jordan in Ryan Coogler's Sinners — Michael B Jordan in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners

Sinners feels like the kind of film that should have the words “Based on the Graphic Novel” in its opening credits. Like the gritty Sin City, Oldboy, or Snowpiercer, Sinners possesses the dramatic visuals and morally ruined characters of a Frank Miller or Alan Moore artwork. Because it already carries the creative identity of a cult comic adaptation, Sinners‘ jump into comics would be quite easy to achieve.

Not every comic needs to match the universe-shaking stakes of the Marvel and DC universes. Some of the most popular and acclaimed comics thrive precisely because they stay grounded. Graphic novels like Road to Perdition and A History of Violence have proved that a contained, movie-like narrative can deliver the same level of tension and realism as a live-action film.

Sinners is practically built to continue in any medium thanks to its atmospheric world and deceptively simple but deeply layered narrative. Sinners‘ hard-edged noir and surreal visuals are tailor-made for a prestige live-action TV sequel or prequel show. Otherwise, an adult-oriented animated TV show or a twelve- or six-issue comic miniseries could accomplish the same feat.