Earlier this month, we learned that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan were shopping around a very buzzy new project - a vampire movie! At the time, there was precious little to go on beyond the fact that the duo's latest would be vampire-related in some way, but today (thanks to a new report over at Deadline) we're learning a bit more.
For starters, Deadline reveals that the battle for Coogler and Jordan's vampire project has come down to three studios: Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal. With Coogler and Jordan keen to begin production on the film this summer, it's likely that this competition will resolve itself quickly, and it'll be interesting to see which of these three studios end up bankrolling the thing.
And what of the film? Anything further you can tell us about that, Deadline?
"Coogler’s script is a period genre film that is a true star vehicle for Jordan, who has worked with the director on Fruitvale Station and the Creed and Black Panther franchises. The numbers being thrown around for worldwide rights are large, but not out of line given the commercial track record of both men. I’ve heard the film’s budget is around $90 million."
So, Coogler and Jordan's vampire project is a $90M period piece. The fascinating thing to consider here is which time period the film might be taking place in. We'd heard there was "period element" to this project previously, but this confirms as much, and again: determining which time period this movie unfolds within will go a long way towards determining how excited we're gonna be about it. Something set in the '80s? Eh, that'd be fine, but how about a vampire movie set in the Prohibition era? How about a western? Hell, how about the '50s? This could go in so many different directions, and we're very curious to see how it shakes out.
Nothing further to report on this one at this time, but do stay tuned: once one of these studio bites (no pun intended), we imagine there'll be much more to share about Coogler and Jordan's latest. Stay tuned for those updates as they roll in, folks.
