11 Horror-Comic Facts About Jordan Peele
Nope comes out this weekend, so we’ve been taking a look back at the movies of Jordan Peele. That includes the behind-the-scenes story of Get Out, the real story behind Us, and the Keanu story of Keanu. You should also take a look at other sci-fi horror movies of course, and over on TV, we looked at Peele’s misadventures on MADtv, Key & Peele, Saturday Night Live, and The Twilight Zone.
Here’s a look back at the facts we learned this week. The links all lead to full articles with much more info, so click every one that interests you, or we will cast you in the next Emoji Movie.
1. Jordan Peele did not write “Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot.”
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He helped put the whole thing together, but in the end, he wrote just one episode per season, and directed none of them. Related: The show didn’t end up very good.
2. Get Out missed a tax rebate and had to so move to a haunted hotel in Alabama.
Originally, they’d planned to set the movie in California. It was never supposed to be about Southern racism.
3. People used to believe in changelings for a pretty terrible reason.
The idea that weird fantasy creatures were switching their kids with ours (explored in one form in Us) gave parents a good excuse to murder their unwanted children.
4. Key and Peele originally competed for a single spot on MADtv.
5. Get Out got shopped around a lot before a producer agreed to back it.
“This is stupid, it won’t work,” said one producer, who will remain nameless.
6. Hands Across America was a failure.
This 1986 charity stunt, featured in Us, didn’t raise anywhere close to what it sought, and they accidentally scheduled it the same time as a different massive worldwide charity drive.
7. Keanu Reeves didn’t join Keanu till after it was done.
This 2016 Key & Peele film might sounds like a Keanu Reeves parody, but he didn’t join till the film was done and he saw the trailer.
8. Peele was almost an SNL cast member (but Fox said no).
9. He began directing full-time because of the poop emoji.
On being offered that role in The Emoji Movie, he decided to quit acting ... though, he would later continue to act a fair bit after all.
10. So many movies merge horror and comedy because the genres actually share many similarities.
The two genres structure their bits the same way (setup, pause, and payoff), which is very different how drama or action films work.
11. Nope has some amazing camerawork (that you will never see).
It’s the rare movie filmed using special Imax 70 mm film, but no theaters are going to project it using that film, so you’ll have to settle for the next best thing.
Top image: Kevin Edwards
