Warner Bros. Joins Oscar Race for Best Original Song with Sinners; Halloween Re-Release Confirmed
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Warner Bros. has officially submitted two songs from Ryan Coogler’s vampire drama Sinners for consideration in the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards.
The first track, “I Lied to You”, was written by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson and performed by rising star Miles Keaton. The second, “Last Time (I Seen the Sun)”, is a duet by Alice Smith and Keaton, co-written with Göransson.
Although awards season is still months away, Variety predicts that both Sinners tracks are likely to appear on the Academy’s preliminary shortlist, to be announced in mid-December.
Under Academy rules, each film may submit up to three original songs for consideration. While all three can reach the shortlist, only two from any one film can make the final list of five nominees. The Sinners team opted to submit just two tracks — a strategy similar to Barbie (2023), which entered multiple contenders including “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, the eventual Oscar winner.
Sinners tells the story of twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return home seeking a fresh start, only to confront an ancient evil awaiting them. The film also stars Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye), Li Jun Li, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and Jack O’Connell.
Miles Keaton, who portrays Sammy Moore, aka Preacher Boy, is also being discussed as a potential Oscar contender for Best Supporting Actor — a rare case where an artist could be nominated in both acting and songwriting categories. Only four individuals in Oscar history have achieved this dual recognition: Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born), and Cynthia Erivo (Harriet). Among them, only Lady Gaga has won for Best Original Song.
Warner Bros. is expected to campaign Sinners across major Oscar categories including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Should Coogler earn nominations in these fields, he would join a very small group of African-American filmmakers to do so. To date, Jordan Peele (Get Out) remains the only Black filmmaker to win an Oscar for Original Screenplay, and none have ever won Best Director in the Academy’s 98-year history.
Sinners will return to IMAX theaters for a special Halloween engagement from October 30 to November 5.
