In January 2017, Jordan Peele transformed himself from one of the best comedic voices of the 21st century to one of the new kings of horror with his psychological and politically-charged directorial debut, GET OUT. Since then, Peele has written and directed the equally frightening US, rebooted “The Twilight Zone,” and wrote the CANDYMAN revival, but this is just the beginning.
This summer, Peele’s unique style of horror will return to the big screen, including AMC Theatres around the country, once more, with the mysterious and terrifying NOPE. To get you primed for what could very well be one of the best movies of the summer, we’ve put together a little guide about the movie and what you can expect to see go down when it opens later this year. Let’s dive right in…
Nope Will Be Released July 22
When NOPE is released into the world on July 22, you won’t find it on a streaming service, as Jordan Peele’s third feature-length directorial effort will be showing exclusively in theaters, which is great news for anyone who likes the tune out from the world for a couple of hours, plant yourself down in a seat, and become overtaken by the sights and sounds playing out on the silver screen.
And, it looks like NOPE is one of the few movies to have its release date remain unchanged since its November 2020 announcement, a time when the upcoming horror film didn’t even have an official title yet.
Daniel Kaluuya And Keke Palmer Star In Nope
Although not a lot is known about the individual characters or their backstories at this point in time, Jordan Peele has once again put together a tremendous cast for the upcoming NOPE. Leading things is Academy Award® winner Daniel Kaluuya — GET OUT, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH —who will be appearing alongside Keke Palmer — HUSTLERS, ALICE — as two Californians whose family have been the owners and operators of a ranch for generations prior to the start of the movie. Joining the two leads is Academy Award nominated actor Steven Yeun — MINARI, OKJA — as another resident in their small, isolated town, as well as Michael Wincott — HITCHCOCK, “Westworld” — and Brandon Perea — “The OA,” “Doom Patrol” — plus a few others.
What We Know About The Nope Plot
Again, Jordan Peele and company have been rather tight-lipped when it comes to the story that will play out in NOPE as well as in terms of what audiences can expect to see when the movie opens in July, but what little information has been released makes the movie sound like quite the thrill ride. Basically, NOPE centers on a group of residents in a small California town who become witnesses to an unexplainable event that has the potential to not only change how they view the world but also the world itself.
Early promotional material, like that vague poster released in 2021 that showed what appeared to be an ominous cloud that looked like a dark and twisted kite with a string of day-glow flags attached to the bottom, has been scant on details, but all the guessing games and intrigue surrounding Jordan Peele’s latest effort is honestly only making everyone even more excited for the eagerly-awaited horror movie.
Jordan Peele Wrote And Directed Nope
When NOPE makes its theatrical debut on July 22, the world will get to see the fruit of Jordan Peele’s labor from the past few years. The movie, which was both written and directed by the former “Key & Peele” star, will be the third horror project the acclaimed filmmaker has performed double duty on since his directorial debut with GET OUT. And, even though it’s very early on and not much is known about the specifics of the movie, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to hear Peele’s name be called at various awards shows in early 2023.
We are talking about the guy who surprised everyone and took home an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his masterful GET OUT script — and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director — only a few years ago. With Peele’s unique vision and attention to details, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if we have another masterpiece on our hands.
Nope Was Partially Shot On IMAX
We are beginning to see more and more major productions in today’s Hollywood being shot on digital formats, and honestly, movies like DUNE and ETERNALS show just how far digital cameras have come in the past couple of decades. However, Jordan Peele went old school with NOPE and shot his third directorial effort using film. In November 2021, Variety confirmed that not only was NOPE shot using the tried-and-true method, portions of the horror movie were shot on 65mm film in IMAX format, which should make for some stunning visuals and overwhelming sensations when NOPE makes its big debut in theaters this summer.
On top of that, Hoyte van Hoytema, who shot movies like DUNKIRK, SPECTRE, and TENET, served as the director of photography for NOPE, which should mean that Jordan Peele’s movie has a massive scope and feel to it. It’s never too early to start looking for the biggest screen in your area for this one.
The Nope Trailer Offers A Few More Clues
You can probably notice the trend here, as although the NOPE trailer does give you a good look at the characters who will presumably be at the center of the movie’s story, it doesn’t offer a lot of details about what’s really going on. Sure, there are clues that point to some otherworldly threat to the residents of the small California town, but it’s never disclosed if it’s aliens, ghosts, or something else entirely. In the short, two-minute trailer we do get to see Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya’s characters talking about their family history, some truly terrifying scenes with obscured horrors, and some other not-so-clear details.
Regardless, NOPE looks terrifying, exhilarating, and downright beautiful with its presentation of Jordan Peele’s unique vision, but visually and philosophically speaking.
NOPE
