As Ryan Coogler’s 2025 movie release, Sinners, continues to be a big success with its strong box office run in select theaters, the director is taking a moment to pay tribute to one of his biggest influences. The Creed auteur made a beeline for Christopher Nolan’s work during a visit to the Criterion Closet. After Nolan received a special thanks credit in the new horror movie, Coogler doubled down on the praise for the Oppenheimer helmer, and it makes for a lovely moment.
In an 8-minute “Closet Picks” video posted to Criterion’s official X account, Ryan Coogler selects Christopher Nolan's 1998 micro-budget debut, Following. While Coogler discusses the movie, he also shows love to Nolan as well as his wife and producing partner, Emma Thompson, for their contributions to cinema:
This is my guy. This is my guy. I’ve come to know him. I’ve come to know his wife [producer Emma Thomas]. Amazing people, first and foremost. They’re just lovers and cinema, and they’re lovers of family. The world is richer because they’re making movies.
The heartfelt moment adds context to Nolan’s surprise credit in Sinners, and it’s not the first time the Wakanda Forever filmmaker has expressed his deep admiration. In this latest video, he also refers to the British-American director and producer as “a mentor of mine."
Coogler and Nolan's relationship makes perfect sense, given both directors’ trajectories: from no-budget indies like Fruitvale Station and Following, to redefining big-budget IP with the likes of some of the very best comic book movies, Black Panther and The Dark Knight. Now, they are both crafting original event films shot on analog film, and they continue to push the IMAX company and format.
When it comes to Following, Ryan Coogler praises it for showcasing the early DNA of Nolan’s storytelling. He continued:
It’s just brilliant because it’s obviously the most indie you’ll ever see… Mr. Nolan, he’s finding his way.
Coogler also draws a direct line between Nolan's debut flick and another favorite: Michael Mann’s Thief, which he calls a kindred influence:
You can sense it quite a bit when you watch this film… If you haven’t seen this movie [Thief], holy fucking shit, this movie.
But it’s not just about cinematic influence. As Ryan Coogler explains in both the Criterion video and previous interviews, the Interstellar director’s support went beyond aesthetics. During the making of Sinners, Coogler drew on advice from Nolan, Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino as he navigated the challenge of crafting a genre-bending horror epic that was also intimate, personal and wildly entertaining.
The result? A film hailed as both spiritual and subversive, fusing theological horror with blockbuster energy, shot natively in IMAX. I love the friendship between Coogler and Nolan and hope it lasts for years to come. And, hey, if you missed Sinners in theaters and it's not playing anywhere near you, it just hit digital platforms, so that you can rent or buy it to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
As for Christopher Nolan, the movie maker continues to push the boundaries of epic filmmaking. His next flick, the upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, will officially be the very first movie shot entirely on IMAX cameras. The adaptation of Homer lands in theaters on July 17, 2026.
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