Dev Patel’s directorial debut – Monkey Man almost went straight to be a Netflix new release until Jordan Peele intervened and gave the film a new life by offering the scope of theatrical release. Becoming one of the world’s most respected genre filmmakers, with hits like Get Out, Peele did some remarkable jobs that later inspired major ambition in Patel, who dreams of becoming an acclaimed action director.
The two filmmakers recently collaborated after Dev Patel’s eye-popping spectacle – Monkey Man impressed Jordan Peele to strike a distribution deal for the film, with Universal Pictures. This significantly helped Patel as he is yet to be an established name in the directorial field. Therefore, addressing Peele’s help, the Slumdog Millionaire actor revealed how it came as a ray of hope when Patel had almost given up on the film.
Jordan Peele Came as a Savior for Dev Patel’s Monkey Man
Although Dev Patel‘s Monkey Man was released only recently, the movie has been in production since 2021. Back then, the action flick had struck a $30M deal with Netflix for a streaming release. However, soon, the film’s co-financier Bron Studios went bankrupt, as per CinemaBlend, which almost led Patel to lose hope on the movie, as he believed Monkey Man was about to be shelved.
Thankfully, Jordan Peele intervened at the right time, as he gained a lot of faith in Dev Patel’s directorial debut after watching the movie. Thoroughly impressed with the cinematic spectacle, Peele thereafter got his production company – Monkeypaw Productions, to encourage Universal Pictures to buy Monkey Man for $10M. After finding a home on the big screen, Patel gained newfound hope for his movie.
Expected to be a financial wonder with a theatrical release, compared to its streaming-only release, Dev Patel expressed his gratitude towards Jordan Peele for his unconditional help towards Monkey Man. Speaking exclusively with CinemaBlend, Patel thus revealed how grateful he is towards Peele. Still processing the awesomeness of their collaboration, Patel spoke fondly of Peele.
Dev Patel is Still Processing His Partnership With Jordan Peele
Following his appearance in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel starred in several other critically acclaimed movies. But after 2021, the actor began shifting his entire commitment towards his newly released film Monkey Man. From directing the film to starring as the protagonist in the movie, who had this grand revenge plan for the murder of his mother, Patel earned rave reviews for his film.
Well, Dev Patel might be responsible for creating the critically acclaimed action film, but the grand success wouldn’t have been possible without Jordan Peele’s help in releasing it in theaters. Therefore, addressing Peele’s help during his interview following the film’s release, Patel noted how he was initially approached with the great news.
“When I got the call that Jordan had seen [Monkey Man] three times, I nearly fell off my chair. And we got on this Zoom call, and I was in the countryside in England, and I thought the film had been shelved, and I was really sad and shooting this low-budget film. And we spoke for ages and that was one of the big things: the idea of being able to not be confined to a box and Jordan stepping out of his comedy roots and becoming this kind of huge cinematic auteur in a way.”
Later, revealing how he portrayed his character in the movie and the things that went behind the scenes, Dev Patel mentioned still processing his collaboration with Jordan Peele. Discussing how the partnership offered him newfound hope and confidence for Monkey Man when he had almost given up on the film, Patel called the collaboration – a dream come true.
“He understood all of the kind of cultural touchstones and what I was trying to do. The film’s a sort of Trojan horse, and we really bonded, and he was great. He was like, ‘I hope you don’t mind, I’ve shared it with Universal, and we’re gonna buy it.’ And it was one of those… you know, it’s like get you’re getting a dream scholarship to an Ivy League. It was amazing. It was mad.”
Thanking Jordan Peele for his help and discussing how they both learned a lot from each other and are impressed with each other’s career paths, Dev Patel went on with the rest of the interview.
Monkey Man is playing now at local theaters.
