Ryan Coogler-Michael B. Jordan secret movie arrives at Warner Bros. -The Hollywood Reporter

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan

Theo Wargo/Getty Images; Karaway Tang/WireImage

Warner Bros. As the victor in Ryan Coogler’s next feature film.

Coogler wrote the screenplay and will direct, with Michael B. Jordan starring. Coogler also produces via his production company Proximity Media. Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian are also producing.

The acquisition caps three weeks of intense interest from movie companies, with Universal and Warners ending up as the last two companies vying for the crown.

Part of the package’s appeal was the re-teaming of Coogler and Jordan, a combination that proved to be a winning one both artistically and financially. Coogler has frequently worked with the actor on projects such as Black Panther Movies as well Doctrine And Fruitvale station.

Sources say the studio and Coogler are moving quickly and are looking to begin production in April in New Orleans. One aspect of the deal is a royalty component that would see Coogler reclaim certain rights on some schedule, sources say. Details were not available.

The project was one of several hot deals arriving at Hollywood studios and streaming companies after the Christmas and New Year holidays. This deal makes it the latest big deal to land a home. After 28 yearsDanny Boyle and Alex Garland’s expanded three-movie plan after their classic zombie film After 28 days, landed at Sony last week. More modest but still star-centric Black baga spy thriller from Steven Soderbergh, was picked up by Focus Features last month.

But while After 28 years Based on a well-known title with nostalgia interest in mind, Coogler’s project excited executives for several reasons. First, it’s an original project with commercial potential and franchise potential, and second, it’s an opportunity to go into business with a gifted and talented filmmaker who was previously attached to a couple of studio franchises, but is now a free agent. Coogler’s previous film was Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhich was released in 2022 and grossed $859.2 million worldwide.

Details are being kept under wraps, but according to sources, the project is described as a thriller (some said it takes place in the Jim Crow-era South) and involves the undead. Some sources have said it also contains anime influences — Jordan is known to be a big fan — but it’s unclear how those influences were woven into the project.

WME, which represents Coogler and Jordan, handled the deals.