Lessons from 'Sinners' Director Ryan Coogler & Intellectual Property in the Age of AI, Remakes, and Content Saturation

Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners, is yet another testament to his commitment to creating emotionally grounded art, rooted in social resonance and cultural sovereignty. He offers a compelling case study in the power of original and unique ideas amid a sometimes uninspired, derivative media landscape. While artificial intelligence and generative models pose new questions about authorship, and the future of storytelling, Coogler reminds creatives and creators to pursue art with integrity and nuance.

I became familiar with Coogler’s cinematic storytelling twelve years ago when I saw his directorial debut, Fruitvale Station featuring actor Michael B. Jordan, in theaters. The movie was humanistic, layered, emotional, and raw, shedding a light on racial and human rights injustice. It was one of those movies that you feel hours, days, and weeks after watching. I remember being impressed by Jordan’s acting, and I remember being equally fascinated by the intricate details in the film. So, like the detail-oriented person I am, I had to do a deep dive on the production of the movie, and more about Coogler. He was just twenty-seven years old when he wrote and directed Fruitvale Station. And he graduated with his Masters in filmmaking at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Reading about his journey from grad student to industry director was awe-inspiring, as a teen who had a deep affinity for storytelling and indie cinema.

Two years later, when I saw headlines announcing that Coogler and Michael B. Jordan would be reuniting for the film Creed, I had a feeling it would be an even bigger project. As expected Creed was a success. The film earned Coogler critical acclaim as it revitalized the Rocky franchise through a modern lens. And then, there was Black Panther, which fused consciousness, excellence and Afro-futurism, ultimately defying the genre conventions of action and superhero movies. Again, I felt something rich in my bones when I saw my third Coogler film in theaters.

Now, in 2025, after writing strikes, the emergence of artificial intelligence in screenwriting & the entertainment industry, and the growing dominance of franchise-driven content, Coogler’s newest film, Sinners reminds other writers, storytellers, creatives, directors to take the path that seems to be less traveled by in a landscape of imitating, remaking, and sometimes flat out plagiarizing.

Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, follows twin brothers living in the Jim Crow South, as they open a juke joint for their community, and navigate vampires, (literally and figurately). Coogler creates a tapestry of cultural and subcultural identity & nuance, as he intertwines African, Asian, and Irish traditional music, dance, and dialect in the movie. While this movie is set in the 30’s, the discussions and intersections of race, preservation, and multiculturalism feel relevant now. As the characters confront external forces that seek to exploit and appropriate their identities, their stories reflect broader global struggles over cultural suppression and displacement. Coogler shows this through dialogue, plot lines, imagery, and even through a symbolic juke joint dance scene that evokes similar motifs from the iconic ‘Sugar Shack’ painting.

While art is subjective, so is success. But in this case, Coogler gets his flowers through and through. He builds art from true life experiences, and cultural perspectives—something that predictable safe bets like remakes, and AI-generated content can’t replicate. But as AI-generated content becomes more widespread, turning the Internet, social apps, and visual & write media into a supermassive black hole of regurgitated ideas, it raises supermassive concerns about ‘voice’, originality, and creative expression.

I always say that true tastemakers recognize true taste. We recognize ethical and intentional art, media, and content. We appreciate art that not only tells us, but shows us, through well-thought out aesthetics and seamless exceution.

Impactful stories stem from ownership, and the relentless pursuit to take artistic and industry risks. With this film, Coogler was able to negotiate a deal that grants him ownership and rights to Sinners for the next twenty-five years.

Three words: Originality and ownership. Ryan Coogler is reminding us to own our original works. AI reminds us how fragile that originality can be. And the entertainment industry and media landscape reminds us that there is an ongoing tension between innovation and commodification.