Director, writer and producer Jordan Peele has created a lasting impression in the film industry thanks to the success of his 2017 directorial debut in Get Out. Get Out masterfully blended racial satire with horror to create unique effect of political commentary and insight to black oppression that some only associate with past eras. The social thriller received critical acclaim and was a hit at the box-office earning $255 million dollars — making it one of the most profitable horror films to date. Get Out was nominated for four Academy Awards and won Best Original Screenplay. Peele was the first black screenwriter to win in this category.
Since the immense success of Get Out and BlacKkKlansman (where Peele co-produced), Peele has become popular name in the film industry. The director and producer once known for his comedic skits and specials on Mad Tv, has since conveyed a unique skill set of blending racial satire and commentary to a strong plot. Audience members and critics alike are eager to see the continuation of what some now refer to as Peele-isms in his upcoming projects.
Here are 5 upcoming Jordan Peele projects.
LORENA BOBBITT DOCU-SERIES
Amazon Prime recently released a trailer for the upcoming four-part docuseries Lorena, produced by Peele. The docuseries tells the story of Lorena Bobbitt whose scandal received nationwide attention in 1993 and led to long-running debate on who the victim of this case truly was. Bobbitt went to trial for cutting of her then-husband’s penis while he was sleeping. This detail completely overshadowed the dark depths of Bobbitt’s life and the events that led her to that infamous violent act — a string of accusations of physical and sexual abuse against her husband John Wayne.
Amazon says the docuseries will re-examine the famous trial and how the case “laid the groundwork for the modern 24-hour news cycle.” With the help of Peele’s experience in creating savvy social commentary, Lorena will challenge the narrative that became associated with Bobbitt’s trial and focus on the missed opportunity to create a discussion on domestic and sexual assault in America.
Lorena will include exclusive interviews with those involved in the trial and will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime February 15.
US
Peele’s follow-up film to his social thriller and directorial debut Get Out, delves much further into the horror genre. Us follows a family whose weekend vacation to the beach goes haywire when suspicious figures appear at the end of their drive way. The father of the Wilson family (Winston Duke) approaches the people dressed in red robes and carrying shears, moments before they descend on the house and reveal they are doppelgängers of the Wilsons.
Peele will once again serves as a writer and director for the upcoming horror film. The first trailer for Us was released on Christmas day and already promised to infuse basic horror conventions with black culture, gap that has existed in the genre since its birth, as well as a thrilling and fearsome plot. Peele says the film orbits around the theme that “we are our own worst enemy.”
The cast of Us includes the Black Panther duo Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke. It is set to be released in theatres in March of this year.
TWILIGHT ZONE
The original 1959 Twilight Zone television series was created, produced and narrated by Rod Serling. The cult television show aired for five years and became an instant classic with its eerie tone and self-reflective supernatural themed episodes.
Peele has been set to reboot the Twilight Zone series as executive producer and host. Given his acclaim in the thriller genre and his ability to creatively incorporate social commentary, as the original series did, many think Peele is the perfect man to sit behind the wheel on this project.
However, Peele admits that the legacy of the show itself as well as the one in which Serling left behind, has created lot of pressure on the success of the reboot. Peele told Variety magazine that he originally declined an invitation to be a part of the new era of the Twilight Zone, claiming Serling’s shoes were too big to fill. Several months later, Peele received another call from the production company who asserted that they wanted the reboot done in a way that paid homage to Serling rather than simply redoing what he had already done. Therefore, Peele accepted and has since told interviewers that like the old show, the reboot will be built from societal fears, as in famous episodes like “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.”
Considering Peele’s interest in exposing the downfalls of humanity that lead to societal oppression and conflict of today (as noted in Get Out and Us), the director is an extremely qualified successor of Serling.
Peele’s reboot includes appearances from Kumail Nanjiani, John Cho and Sanaa Lathan. It will available for streaming sometime this year.
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Additional Jordan Peele projects include a sequel to the 1992 horror classic Candyman and HBO series called Lovecraft Country. In addition to the projects mentioned about Peele’s work in Candyman and Lovecraft Country continue to expose audience members to the brilliant mind of the writer and director whose twist on horror conventions is sure to make a lasting impression on the genre for years to come.
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