Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Monkey Man: Dev Patel Embarks On John Wick-Style Revenge Quest in Wild, Jordan Peele-Produced Action Flick
Produced by Jordan Peele, the film marks the directorial debut of Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel.
The bloody, neon-soaked influence of the John Wick franchise continues to live on with the first trailer for Monkey Man. Opening in theaters everywhere via Universal Pictures this April, the wild-looking film marks the directorial debut of Slumdog Millionaire and The Green Knight star/real-world black belt, Dev Patel. Jordan Peele serves as a producer on the stylized action thriller, which takes inspiration from the legend of Hanuman, a Hindu "icon embodying strength and courage."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project was initially slated for a potential streaming rollout before Peele got involved through his Monkeypaw Productions banner, and the film was soon eyed for a theatrical release.
Patel — who came up with the story and wrote the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee — also takes on the central role of Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager existence at an underground fight club in Mumbai. Each night, he dons a gorilla mask and gets beaten to a pulp by the establishment's more popular combatants. "After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite," the synopsis continues. "As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him."
RELATED: Jordan Peele Teases Mysterious Next Film Could End Up His "Favorite"
Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya) and Makarand Deshpande (RRR) round out the cast.
Watch The Trailer For Jordan Peele-Produced Action Thriller Monkey Man
"I hope this will be a fresh addition to the genre at a time in this industry where my story can become our story," Patel said of the film back in 2021. "Shooting a film during a pandemic has been quite challenging to say the least, but the opportunity to reimagine stories from my childhood and infuse them with my love of action cinema has been an absolute joy."
How to Watch Jordan Peele's Monkey Man?
Monkey Man arrives exclusively in theaters on Friday, April 5, 2024. Then, two weeks later, the Radio Silence team will unleash a bloodthirsty “ballerina-vampire” upon a group of unsuspecting kidnappers in the horror-centric Abigail.
John Wick veterans Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee are producers on Monkey Man alongside Peele, Patel, Jomon Thomas, Christine Haebler, and Anjay Nagpal. Executive producers include: Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney, and Steven Thibault.
Need more stylized action in your life? Be sure to check out The Continental: From the World of John Wick — all episodes are now streaming on Peacock!
