Ryan Coogler just rewrote Oscar history with his vampire epic Sinners, as the film snatched 16 nominations Thursday morning, smashing the all-time record and putting Black excellence front and center at the 2026 Academy Awards.
Michael B. Jordan scored his first Oscar nomination for playing dual roles in the Warner Bros. supernatural thriller. The actor joins an impressive lineup of Black talent getting recognition this year, with Sinners alone producing 10 Black nominees. The previous record holder was Judas and the Black Messiah back in 2021, which also recognized 10 Black creatives across various categories.
Coogler becomes only the third Black person nominated in the same year for producing, directing and screenwriting. Jordan Peele did it with Get Out and Spike Lee achieved the feat with BlacKkKlansman. Now Coogler joins that exclusive club with his genre-bending masterpiece. The Sinners nominations span every major category. Delroy Lindo earned a supporting actor nod alongside Jordan’s lead actor recognition. Wunmi Mosaku grabbed a supporting actress nomination for her powerful performance in the film.
The nominations announcement was made at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles. Oscar-nominated actress Danielle Brooks and actor Lewis Pullman revealed all 24 categories, including the new casting category. Conan O’Brien returns as host for the second consecutive year. The ceremony takes place March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, airing live on ABC and streaming on Hulu.