Talk to the ‘Sinners’ cast NICE and NICE ONLY! And let’s start with the one and only, Ryan Coogler, whose film just set the record for most Oscar nominations. Like EVER. In the award show’s entire existence. For the 98th Academy Awards, ‘Sinners’ is in the running to win 16 awards. Thursday’s announcement has fans hype for March 15. Just a few weeks until we know whether the blues-steeped vampire movie will dominate one of Hollywood’s biggest honors.
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‘Sinners’ Leads 2026 Oscars & MBJ Gets First Nomination
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered ‘Sinners’ with more nominations than the 14-nomination record previously set by ‘All About Eve,’ ‘Titanic’, and ‘La La Land.’ Along with Best Picture, Ryan Coogler was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Meanwhile, double-duty star Michael B. Jordan was rewarded with his first Oscar nomination, for best actor.
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A Moment For Ryan Coogler, Please!
For Ryan Coogler, the 39-year-old filmmaker of ‘Fruitvale Station’ and ‘Black Panther,’ it was a crowning moment. One of Hollywood’s most esteemed yet humble filmmakers, Coogler has called ‘Sinners’ his most personal movie.
“I wrote this script for my uncle who passed away 11 years ago,” Coogler said in an interview Thursday morning, per the Associated Press. “I got to imagine that he’s listening to some blues music right now to celebrate.”
Aside from being his favorite, Coogler has a longterm plan for his work of art. 25 years after it’s release, in 2050, he will own ‘Sinners’ outright. Come on KING!
An hour after the nominations were read, Coogler, his wife and producer, Zinzi Coogler, and producer, Sev Ohanian, were still trying to process the movie’s record-breaking haul.
“I love making movies. I’m honored to wake up every day and do it. I was writing last night. That’s why I didn’t get too much sleep,” said Ryan Coogler, chuckling. “Honestly, bro, I still feel a little bit asleep right now.”
Second Runner Up Is Also A Warner Bros. Film
‘One Battle After Another’ trailed in second with 13 Oscar nominations. Four of its actors — Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn — were nominated. Taylor’s nomination is her first. It also follows her first-ever Golden Globe win and got it for Best Supporting Actress for the same movie, ‘One Battle After Another.’
This year, the two top film nominees highlight original American epics. Each are connected with a fraught national moment. For example, Ryan Coogler’s film is based in the Jim Crow-era and a rare horror movie that conjures a mythical allegory of Black life. In ‘One Battle After Another,’ a dormant spirit of rebellion is revived in an out-of-control police state.
Both are also Warner Bros. films. The 102-year-old studio had its best Oscar nominations mornings ever. In total, the studio collected 33 total nods. In a memo to Warner Bros. Discovery employees, David Zaslav, chief executive, called it “a golden moment for our company.” This moment comes amid Warner’s $72 billion deal with Netflix, which hangs in the balance amid a challenge from Paramount Skydance.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. ABC and Hulu will show it live. YouTube’s new deal to exclusively air won’t take effect until 2029. This year, Conan O’Brien will return as host.
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AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
