With his upcoming film Monkey Man, award-winning actor Dev Patel is set to begin his directorial career. Also featuring Sobhita Dhulipala and Sikander Kher in important roles, the film is set to enter cinemas on April 5, 2024.
But do you know that Monkey Man was initially scheduled for a streaming release? Yes, the film was set to land on Netflix, but it was filmmaker Jordan Peele who loved it so much that he had his production company, Monkeypaw, work with Universal Pictures to distribute it in cinemas.
“Dev created a world that’s gritty and tragic, but cinematically beautiful,” Peele said in a new featurette for the film, as we see Patel working behind and in front of the camera. Peele went on to add that he was especially drawn to the film because it follows Patel’s character turning from a revenger to an avenger.
Dev Patel had earlier explained how Peele took the movie from Netflix to theaters. According to the actor and director, Peele, who is credited as a producer on the film, personally reached out after watching the new action thriller.
"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."
Here’s the official synopsis of Monkey Man: Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. 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.
Sandhya Suri poses during a photocall for the film "Santosh" at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2024.