Sinners Star Michael B. Jordan Crowns His All-Time Favorite Vampire

Michael B. Jordan is out here hunting vampires on screen, but when someone asked him who his favorite movie bloodsucker is, he went straight for Eddie Murphy. Yep, that Eddie Murphy.

His pick: Eddie Murphy in Vampire in Brooklyn

While chatting with PEOPLE at the Gotham Awards, Jordan name-checked Murphy's turn as Maximilian in Vampire in Brooklyn. Not exactly the obvious pick, but honestly, great answer. The movie's whole pitch was basically: the last vampire on Earth shows up and finds Brooklyn scarier than he is. That's the gag, and it still plays.

What he's making: Sinners (or Sinner, depending on who you ask)

Jordan was at the Gotham Awards to rep his upcoming vampire project with Ryan Coogler. You're going to see it referenced as Sinners in some places and Sinner in others, but it's the same film. In it, Jordan plays twin brothers running a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi who get pulled into a showdown with a very real, very dangerous vampire. And yes, he's the vampire hunter here.

Why this role shook him up (in a good way)

Jordan has been open about how this one pushed him. He says the call from Coogler came out of the blue, and it made him nervous at first — the good kind of nervous. Then Coogler hit him with this:

"Hey, yo, I wrote this for you."

• Jordan told Deadline that Coogler knows him well and doesn't pitch ideas lightly; if Coogler says it, he's thought it through.
• The challenge was the draw: Jordan was anxious and excited in equal measure, and leaned into trusting Coogler's vision.
• He called the experience powerful and said the script delivered on everything he'd hoped for — the kind of project that forces him to grow and evolve.

Short version: Jordan's favorite vampire is Eddie Murphy's Maximilian, and his own vampire hunt in Sinners/Sinner sounds like a big, pulpy swing from him and Coogler — the kind of swing you take when your director says he wrote it with you in mind.