Michael B. Jordan is in the midst of a “surreal” season of life.
Late last year, the Sinners star returned from Europe where he’d been “for the past year and some change” directing, producing and starring in Amazon MGM Studios reimagining of The Thomas Crown Affair. He barely had time to catch his breath before taking the stage in November to accept a career retrospective honor from American Cinematheque. The honoree streak continued last weekend in Palm Springs where the multi-hyphenate received an Icon Award during the Film Awards for his work in Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller from Warner Bros.
“It feels good and it feels surreal in a way,” Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter Saturday while standing on the red carpet outside the Palm Springs Convention Center. “Even this award tonight, I’m honored to be recognized in this way amongst so many other talented, amazing actors and great performers throughout this year.”
Asked about the heavy lift of Thomas Crown, an expensive production which Jordan steered through various European cities, the Creed III filmmaker confirmed that, yes, “it’s a lot, man.”
“It was one of my favorite films growing up,” he said, citing both versions of the heist picture including Norman Jewison’s 1968 installment starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway and John McTiernan’s 1999 version with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. He called the update his “own interpretation, re-imagination” of the project which has centered on a billionaire who steals a painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is pursued by an insurance investigator only to see them fall in love. Jordan stars opposite Adria Arjona in a cast that also includes Kenneth Branagh, Aubrey Plaza, Pilou Asbaek, Paapa Essiedu, Lily Gladstone, Danai Gurira, Ruth Negga and more.
“It’s a big movie. It’s international. It’s sexy. It’s a lot of fun. A lot of twists and turns. It’s going to have some things that I think audiences won’t be expecting that I think might be a nice treat for them.”
Something unexpected that has caught Hollywood by surprise is Netflix’s proposed acquisition of his Sinners home Warner Bros. THR asked Jordan for his response to the news, which has dominated industry chatter in recent weeks, and he offered a balanced take.
“As long as the care of film and cinema is a priority at the forefront, that’s what I feel is most important right now as an actor, as a director,” he said. “Movies need to be seen on a big screen. That communal experience is what makes Sinners so great, [what makes] One Battle After Another so great, [what makes] Marty Supreme so great. What makes all these movies so great is that you get a chance to go to theater with people and watch it and have a moment to laugh together, to cry together, to cheer together. That’s why I love going to movies is for those storytelling experiences. That’s the priority. All the other business stuff is a little bit beyond me.”
What lands a little closer to Jordan’s lap is stuff he can control, like the ability to set some new year’s resolutions for 2026. “I’m always trying to set goals to kind of self-improve. For me, this year [I will try to] always lead with my best foot forward and continue to be kind and show empathy to people. Empathy is something that we lose a lot of and I think the world needs more of nowadays. That’s what I’m championing this year.”