Acclaimed director Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller, Sinners, keeps sinking its teeth into the film industry with strong early success, adding further credence to his successful partnership with long-time collaborator Michael B. Jordan. Having worked with Jordan for over a decade, Coogler admits he always saw him as a "real movie star" in the making.

Speaking with GQ, Coogler delved into how his creative partnership with Jordan started, with Sinners being their fifth collaboration. After Jordan established himself as a TV star in The Wire, All My Children and Friday Night Lights, Coogler thought the actor could seamlessly transition to movies, putting faith in his "incredible" talent.

"I think we got to work together at a very unique time in his career, because he was still doing television at the time and had just been in two movies that had wide releases," he said. "I felt that he really popped...