Ryan Coogler, Tessa Thompson, Octavia Spencer and Daniel Kaluuya lead an A-list lineup of presenters for Michael B. Jordan‘s American Cinematheque tribute. The “Sinners” star and “Creed III” director is set to become the 39th recipient of the honor during a ceremony held Nov. 20 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
Coogler and Jordan’s longtime collaboration is one of the most prolific in recent history, making five films as director and star: “Fruitvale Station,” “Creed,” “Black Panther,” “Wakanda Forever,” and culminating with the box office blockbuster “Sinners.” Jordan played twin brothers, gangsters Smoke and Stack, in the R-rated vampire epic, which has earned $367 million worldwide and become one of the highest-grossing original horror movies of all time.
Thompson stars opposite Jordan in the “Creed” franchise, where Jordan assumed the role of director for the latest installment, “Creed III.” Spencer starred in “Fruitvale Station,” where she portrayed Wanda Johnson, mother of the late Oscar Grant III (Jordan), the 22-year-old Black man who was killed by BART police in Oakland in 2009. The film, directed by Coogler, won the grand jury prize and audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, establishing Jordan as a major talent to watch following his early days in TV with “All My Children,” “The Wire” and “Friday Night Lights.” Kaluuya appeared opposite Jordan in “Black Panther,” which was the first superhero movie to be nominated for best picture.
Ben Affleck, Mahershala Ali, Bradley Cooper (who received the American Cinematheque tribute in 2018), Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”), Phylicia Rashad (“Creed”) and producer Irwin Winkler (“Creed”) round out the star-studded list of presenters honoring Jordan’s achievements in cinema.
The show will also feature a special musical performance by “Sinners” breakout talent Miles Caton, Ludwig Göransson and Raphael Saadiq of their original song “I Lied to You,” from the film. Plus, Donna Langley will honor the Motion Picture Association’s Charles H. Rivkin with the Power of Cinema Award, presented by Hill Valley.
Previous American Cinematheque honorees include Denzel Washington (who directed Jordan in 2021’s “A Journal for Jordan”), Eddie Murphy, Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Sean Connery, Michael Douglas, Rob Reiner, Mel Gibson, John Travolta, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jodie Foster, Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Steve Martin, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Samuel L. Jackson, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, Jerry Bruckheimer, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Ridley Scott, Amy Adams, Cooper, Charlize Theron, Spike Lee, Scarlett Johannsson, Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren.
The 38th American Cinematheque Award was presented to Jessica Chastain last year.
