section_path: Production
section_name: Production
paragraph_text: Production
  
  In January 2024, an untitled period film (rumored to take place in the Jim Crow -era South and involve the undead) from writer, director, and producer Ryan Coogler was reported to be in development through his production company Proximity Media, with longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan cast in the lead role. Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Universal Pictures were in a bidding war to acquire the distribution rights to the film, which carried a budget of around $90 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. greenlit the film with a production budget of $80 million, but the final budget climbed to $100 million. In exchange for the distribution rights to the film, Coogler was asking studios for first-dollar gross, final cut privilege, and ownership of the film twenty-five years after its release. The following month, Warner Bros. won the distribution rights to the film by acceding to Coogler's terms. Coogler cited the films of Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, Christopher Nolan (who is given an on-screen special thanks credit), Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma, and Spike Lee as sources of inspiration.
  
  In April 2024, Jack O'Connell was cast as the film's villain. Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Hailee Steinfeld, Li Jun Li, and Lola Kirke were cast in undisclosed roles. Wunmi Mosaku was cast as Smoke's love interest. Yao, Miles Caton, Peter Dreimanis, and Christian Robinson were added the next month. Halsey completed a script read for the role that went to Steinfeld.
  
  Principal photography began in New Orleans on April 14, 2024, under the working title Grilled Cheese and wrapped on July 17. It was shot by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on 65 mm film using a combination of IMAX 15-perf and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras and scenes thus alternate between the 1.43:1 and 2.76:1 aspect ratios. Kodak created an IMAX version of their Ektachrome 100D 5294 film stock specifically for the production, where it was used for a flashback sequence. The production spent $67.6 million on-location in Louisiana. The film's allocated budget was reported to have ultimately risen to around $100 million. The film's production designer Hannah Beachler has acknowledged that the way the church in the film was designed included crossed beams which made the "Wakanda forever" gesture and paid homage to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. Industrial Light & Magic, Storm Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Base FX, Baraboom Studios, Light VFX and Outpost VFX provided the film's visual effects.
  
  In January 2024, an untitled period film (rumored to take place in the Jim Crow -era South and involve the undead) from writer, director, and producer Ryan Coogler was reported to be in development through his production company Proximity Media, with longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan cast in the lead role. Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Universal Pictures were in a bidding war to acquire the distribution rights to the film, which carried a budget of around $90 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. greenlit the film with a production budget of $80 million, but the final budget climbed to $100 million. In exchange for the distribution rights to the film, Coogler was asking studios for first-dollar gross, final cut privilege, and ownership of the film twenty-five years after its release. The following month, Warner Bros. won the distribution rights to the film by acceding to Coogler's terms. Coogler cited the films of Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, Christopher Nolan (who is given an on-screen special thanks credit), Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma, and Spike Lee as sources of inspiration.
  
  In April 2024, Jack O'Connell was cast as the film's villain. Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Hailee Steinfeld, Li Jun Li, and Lola Kirke were cast in undisclosed roles. Wunmi Mosaku was cast as Smoke's love interest. Yao, Miles Caton, Peter Dreimanis, and Christian Robinson were added the next month. Halsey completed a script read for the role that went to Steinfeld.
  
  Principal photography began in New Orleans on April 14, 2024, under the working title Grilled Cheese and wrapped on July 17. It was shot by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on 65 mm film using a combination of IMAX 15-perf and Ultra Panavision 70 cameras and scenes thus alternate between the 1.43:1 and 2.76:1 aspect ratios. Kodak created an IMAX version of their Ektachrome 100D 5294 film stock specifically for the production, where it was used for a flashback sequence. The production spent $67.6 million on-location in Louisiana. The film's allocated budget was reported to have ultimately risen to around $100 million. The film's production designer Hannah Beachler has acknowledged that the way the church in the film was designed included crossed beams which made the "Wakanda forever" gesture and paid homage to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. Industrial Light & Magic, Storm Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Base FX, Baraboom Studios, Light VFX and Outpost VFX provided the film's visual effects.