Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key’s Comedy Central show “Key and Peele” featured terrific, biting social satire, and their follow-up film to leaving the series, “Keanu” was mildly diverting, but nothing prepared us, possibly not even Peele himself, for the cultural phenomenon of “Get Out.” A social horror provocatively playing with race, no film into 2017 could better fit the title of breakout film of the year than “Get Out.” A would-be indie that premiered at Sundance with modest ambitions, “Get Out,” quickly caught fire, eventually earning $255 million for a $4.5 million, and became the 10th most profitable film of 2017. Moreover, the buzz snowballed over and “Get Out” found itself in the unlikely position of four Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director (it would win Best Screenplay).
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Since then, Jordan Peele’s become white-hot in Hollywood and earned much green lighting capital (see “BlacKkKlansman,” a project that Peele found and hired Spike Lee to direct and write). Peele now has many projects in the works, and now, under his first-look deal over at Universal, he’s found his latest project, a “new nightmare” called “Us.”
Peele unveiled the poster and title over Twitter this evening. Variety has added that Lupita Nyong’o (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) is in talks to star, and Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is being eyed for the other lead role. Plot details are under wraps, but Peele has revealed the film has been set for a March 15, 2019 release date. THR adds that Winston Duke of “Black Panther” may also join the cast.
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Peele will write and direct the film, but that’s all that’s known for now, but Peele, Nyong’o, and Moss is a fierce trio. Given the date, “Us” is something that could ostensibly premiere at Sundance in the similar, “secret” manner in which “Get Out” debuted (not officially in the line-up and then revealed at the last minute to unsuspecting critics). File under Most Anticipated 2019. [Variety]
Universal has released a statement, but it’s not much of a synopsis:
Visionary filmmaker and Academy Award® winner Jordan Peele, who created the blockbuster Get Out, follows that success with another original and provocative thriller: US. Peele produces for his Monkeypaw Productions alongside Sean McKittrick and Jason Blum. Also producing is Monkeypaw’s Ian Cooper. Written and directed by Peele, US will be released by Universal Pictures on Friday, March 15, 2019.
— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) May 9, 2018