Director Ryan Coogler’s next project – said to be a period vampire film – is set to star Michael B Jordan and has sparked something of a bidding war. More details here:
Little is known about Ryan Coogler’s next project, but negotiations with studios in the past week mean that a couple of juicy details have emerged regarding the secretive film that Coogler and Michael B Jordan are looking to get underway this year.
We learned last week that the project would be a genre movie – and it’s now being described as a period vampire film, which Coogler and Jordan are looking to shoot this summer. Naturally, the project has garnered lots of interest, but it sounds like Netflix isn’t being invited to the party as Coogler is insistent that the film gets a ‘full worldwide theatrical release’.
Warner Bros, Sony and Universal are said to be the three studios in the running to secure the project, with Warner Bros said to be in pole position (according to World of Reel).
Getting its hands on another coveted project from a prestige filmmaker would represent another coup for the studio as it continues to rebuild its reputation as a destination for filmmakers following a couple of years where it has seemed to be anything but.
You don’t need us to remind you of the various ways in which Warner Bros has angered the filmmaking community, but over the last few months, it’s secured the services of some highly-respected industry creatives including Paul Thomas Anderson and Tom Cruise. Stories also suggest it has been courting big industry players such as Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson.
Ryan Coogler certainly fits within the same bracket as the esteemed creatives above, although according to reports, any studio that does secure Coogler’s next film might have to share IP rights for the projects with the filmmaker.
That co-ownership of the rights to the project are in play is heartening to hear. There’s hope that studios begin to recognise the value of bold and original storytelling following a year in which the value of these kinds of films finally seemed to become apparent to those that wield the chequebooks.
If Warner Bros (or any other studio in negotiations with Coogler and Jordan) is willing to consider sharing the IP for the project, that clearly shows the value that this type of project holds.
The budget for the project is said to be around $90m and the film will join a growing number of period vampire films that are in some stage of development, from Chloe Zhao’s ‘vampire western’ project to Robert Egger’s Nosferatu by way of Nikyatu Jusu’s planned bloodsucker film, not to mention Peter Ramsay’s Blood Count (although we’re not sure yet if the latter two are contemporary or period films).
We’ll bring you more on the Coogler project as we hear it.
