Sinners is one of the greatest successes of the year so far, and that win was partially unexpected. The movie — which is an original, R-rated horror film — was made on an estimated budget of $90 million. Some thought that Warner Bros. had oversH๏τ when setting this value, because it meant that this non-franchise movie would have to make about $300 million to earn a profit. After just four full weekends in theaters, though, Sinners is well on its way to that total, with a $290.1 million worldwide gross to date.

The vampire period piece is a collaboration between director Ryan Coogler and his ongoing muse, Michael B. Jordan. Coogler has directed five movies, and Jordan has appeared in every single one of them. For three of these five movies, Jordan has played the lead role, but it was late actor Chadwick Boseman who took center stage in Coogler’s triumphant MCU debut, Black Panther. After tragically pᴀssing away from colon cancer before the second movie, Boseman was partially immortalized by it. Cleverly, Coogler also found a way to sneak a Boseman reference into Sinners.

Sinners’ Church Design Is A Tribute To Chadwick Boseman

This Was Revealed By Production Designer Hannah E. Beachler

Though a detail that would be easy to miss, Sinners includes a notable tribute to Boseman. This comes in the town’s church, which is shown at the beginning of the movie and cycles back into the story later when Sammie (Miles Caton) returns to meet his father after the movie’s harrowing events. Hannah E. Beachler, who produced large-scale, meticulously detailed work as the production designer for Sinners, explained that the construction of the church itself was a way to honor Boseman.

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She broke down each element in the church, sharing a concept art picture from the Sinners set. Beachler drew attention to the beams that go from floor to ceiling, forming an X-shape. This design was “for Chadwick,” according to the designer, as it “made the Wakanda Forever gesture.” This gesture, typically made by crossing one’s arms in front of them to make an X symbol, is one of the signature elements of the Black Panther movies. It is also where the sequel film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, got its name.

Why Sinners Includes A Chadwick Boseman Tribute

Boseman Was Key In Coogler’s Career

While there are several likely reasons why Sinners included a Boseman tribute, Coogler’s close relationship with the actor was likely the driving factor. While Jordan had driven Coogler’s first two films to success, the director branched out when he took on Black Panther, which already had Boseman in the lead role after his debut in Captain America: Civil War. This was an incredibly significant moment on multiple scales. On a cultural level, it was the first movie centered on a Black hero in the MCU to date, which was a win for representation amid Hollywood’s ongoing diversity issues.

On a personal level, Black Panther changed Coogler’s career for the better. Creed made a respectable $174.1 million worldwide on its estimated $35 million budget. Black Panther increased those earnings by over seven-fold, making over $1.3 billion at the box office. The film helped solidify Coogler as not only an indie darling (as he had been considered from Fruitvale Station), but a hit-maker. Boseman’s stellar performance as T’Challa helped make this happen.

Sinners is also not the first time that Coogler has honored Boseman on screen following the actor’s death. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was largely a tribute to Boseman. Seeing as it fit the plot, given T’Challa’s death, the movie paid direct homage to the character, and, by extension, the actor. Characters also regularly speak about T’Challa’s impact and legacy, which can be seen as a verbal acknowledgment of Boseman. While Wakanda Forever was a lot more overt in how it honored Boseman, Sinners found a subtler way to honor the actor.

Chadwick Boseman Inspired Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners Performance Too

Coogler Told Boseman To Think About Chadwick

The church was Sinners‘ visual way of paying homage to Boseman, but his impact on the movie extended beyond what could be witnessed in the background. In an interview last month, Jordan revealed how his performance was inspired by the late Black Panther actor. On set, Coogler would challenge Jordan to think about “what would Chad be doing right now?” in the scene. While it “broke [them] up emotionally,” Jordan found it to be an effective way to evoke the performance Coogler wanted.

This directorial choice meant that, even when the church is not on-screen to honor the “Wakanda Forever” symbol, Boseman’s acting legacy has an impact on Sinners. Some acting choices that Jordan makes may be directly attributed to him putting himself in Boseman’s shoes while he thought about how to portray Smoke and Stack. As such, Boseman’s legacy actually permeates the duration of Sinners, and the extent of his influence probably cannot be fully understood as a lot of it is internal to Jordan and Coogler’s experience.

Sinners’ Chadwick Boseman Connections Are A Reminder Of His Lasting Impact On Hollywood

He Died Almost 5 Years Ago, But He’s Still Making An Impact

Boseman pᴀssed away on August 28, 2020, so it has been almost five full years since his death now. Sinners‘ tribute to him, however, shows that the actor’s talent and accomplishments have not been forgotten. It is not just Jordan and Coogler who know Boseman so well, as a lot of the Sinners team have connections with Boseman. This includes Beachler, the production designer who made the Sinners tribute happen in the church and who won an Oscar for her work on Black Panther. These tributes show just how much Boseman positively impacted people that he worked with in the past, as they are still immortalizing him on screen.

This homage is a testament to how strong Boseman’s career was. Dying at 43 years old, the actor did not have a chance to live out the decades-long, prolific career that he could have, but his 15+ years of work are still incredibly strong. While T’Challa is his most notable role, he also brought historical figures like Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall to life, making memorable biopics. His last role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom even earned him a posthumous Oscar nomination. The fact that Boseman’s life was cut short is tragic, but it is great to see people like Coogler still honoring his legacy.

Coogler tends to work with a lot of overlapping talents on his films. This includes Beachler as well as composer Ludwig Göransson, who has collaborated with the director on all five of his projects. It is thus conceivable that Boseman could have become one of those recurring stars if he had not died after just one completed movie with Coogler. Given the director’s deep connection with Boseman, it is possible that the actor might be honored again in future Coogler projects after Sinners.