Michael B. Jordan to Receive American Cinematheque Award

Michael B. Jordan is set to become the 39th recipient of the American Cinematheque Award. The “Sinners” star and “Creed III” director will be feted with a tribute ceremony on Nov. 20 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

“The career of Michael B. Jordan has been an unparalleled showcase for the combination of superb talent and purposeful vision that has made him a major power in today’s movie business,” said American Cinematheque board chair Rick Nicita in a statement announcing the news.

“He entered the ranks of movie stars with ‘Fruitvale Station’ and rapidly followed it up with iconic roles in ‘Black Panther’ and three ‘Creed’ movies, including his directorial debut in ‘Creed III,’ with more directorial efforts to come,” Nicita continued. “He has become a prolific producer with multiple projects across our business and his philanthropic activities are many and wide-ranging. Most recently, his outstanding performances (yes, two performances) in the worldwide smash ‘Sinners’ have cemented his place in the upper tier of movie stars, now and in the future.”

“Sinners,” the R-rated vampire movie from Jordan’s regular collaborator Ryan Coogler, has earned a mighty $240 million at the domestic box office and counting. Up next, Jordan will direct, produce (via his Outlier Society banner) and star in “The Thomas Crown Affair” for Amazon MGM Studios. The forthcoming film is Jordan’s sophomore directorial effort, following “Creed III,” which launches as the highest-grossing sports film opening ever.

The American Cinematheque award is one among a slew of recent honors for Jordan, who, in 2023, was named a Time 100 honoree, earned an Academy Museum Vanguard award and got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. While reflecting on those career milestones in an interview with Variety, Jordan said, “I’m not ignorant of the blessings and opportunities that I’m given. At the same time, I still feel like I have something to prove. I still feel like I want to make people proud. I want to make myself proud — so I’m constantly trying to raise the bar.”

Previous American Cinematheque honorees include Denzel Washington (who directed Jordan in 2021’s “A Journal for Jordan”), Eddie Murphy, Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Sean Connery, Michael Douglas, Rob Reiner, Mel Gibson, John Travolta, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jodie Foster, Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Steve Martin, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Samuel L. Jackson, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, Jerry Bruckheimer, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Ridley Scott, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Charlize Theron, Spike Lee, Scarlett Johannsson, Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren. Last year’s American Cinematheque award was presented to Jessica Chastain.

Earlier this week, Tom Cruise, who received the award in 1997, praised Jordan as the future of the movie business. “I’m a huge fan of his. That film ‘Sinners’ is amazing,” Cruise told Entertainment Tonight about Jordan, adding: “We’re going to make a movie together.”