'Nope': Jordan Peele finally confirms his next horror flick is indeed about aliens

For months, we have feverishly wondered about the plot surrounding Jordan Peele's third horror film — Nope — which opens in theaters everywhere this July. The marketing materials released thus far have hinted at a unique sci-fi twist on the alien invasion genre, but until now, there was no hard confirmation.

That all changed this week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas when Peele (who wrote, directed, and produced the hotly-anticipated movie) unveiled a new trailer, which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "shed more light on the extra-terrestrial storyline." In keeping with the filmmaker's wishes, we will not be delving into what the footage actually showed. With that said, Mr. Peele did promise that the rest of us only have to wait "several more weeks" until the second trailer arrives online.

Even with the alien mystery seemingly solved, there are still plenty of things Peele and distributor Universal Pictures are keeping under wraps. Given the former's love of The Twilight Zone, we should all expect a Rod Serling-esque twist or two along the way. “The discovery and the surprise of it is part of the fun,” Peele remarked during a Q&A with the gathered audience. "Trailers will give you a taste, but we want to retain some of the mystery, so you can be satisfied going to the damn movie."

Set in a remote California gulch town rocked by incredibly strange events, the project marks the writer-director's second team-up with Daniel Kaluuya since the pair first collaborated on 2017's Get Out. Kaluuya plays one of the operators of Haywood Ranch, the only Black-owned horse-training business in Hollywood. Keke Palmer (Hustlers), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Brandon Perea (Doom Patrol), and Michael Wincott (The Crow) round out the supporting cast.

Peele went on to explain that he utilized 65mm and IMAX cameras to "capture incredible images," while purportedly setting out to push the very boundaries of current filmmaking techniques. “This is definitely a ride," he continued. "I like titles that are into how the audience is feeling and reflect on what they are thinking and feeling in the theater. I’m going to personally thrive on the amount of times that we hear ‘Nope’ in the theater."

The director's goal is to craft movies he — and by extension, the audience — haven't seen before. “My plan is to bring these new ideas and nightmares to the big screen," Peele said (via Deadline), also expressing his support for the in-person moviegoing experience. “We’re here to make sure the big screen continues to be the best place to experience film.”

Ian Cooper, Creative Director at Peele's Monkey Paw Productions, is a producer on the film as well.

Nope makes contact with the big screen Friday, July 22.