Monkey Man director and star Dev Patel explains how Jordan Peele took the movie from Netflix to theaters. Marking Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man follows a mysterious man known only as “Kid” as he embarks on a mission of bloody vengeance against corrupt leaders who are responsible for the death of his mother. The film, which has been teased as “John Wick in Mumbai,” originally began life as a Netflix production, but it’s now getting a theatrical release thanks to Get Out director Peele.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant on the Monkey Man red carpet at SXSW, Patel explains how Peele changed the movie’s trajectory. Read his full comment below:
“Yeah, it’s been a bumpy road. I mean, it was pretty amazing. I was doing a very low-budget film in Yorkshire, chasing sheep. And then I get a call from my agents at CAA, and they’re like, “Hey, Jordan Peele’s seen your film, and he wants to talk to you.” I was like, “What?!” It’s a real Hollywood moment, and then the next minute, I’m on a zoom call with Jordan. We spoke for like three hours, and I knew he was going to be a great collaborator.
“He kind of picked this film up off the floor, dusted it off, and put it back on the mantelpiece. For that, I’m ever grateful to him.”
More to come…
