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At this point, it’s not a stretch to say Jordan Peele successfully transitioned from TV to movies. Key & Peele, his show with collaborator Keegan-Michael Key, made him a comedy star. The show ended in 2015, and Peele emerged as a stellar horror movie director with his debut, Get Out, but where did he learn to direct? Did Peele direct Key & Peele?

Jordan Peele attends the premiere of his movie 'Nope' on July 18, 2022. Peele starred on 'Key & Peele' before focusing on movies, but did he ever direct any episodes of the show?
Jordan Peele | Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic

Jordan Peele established himself as a stud horror movie director with ‘Get Out,’ ‘Us,’ and ‘Nope’

Key and Peele reunited in the movie Keanu a year after they stopped working together on Key & Peele. Peele co-wrote the script with Alex Rubens, but he struck out on his own with Get Out, and it was nothing but a success.

Peele produced, directed, and wrote the script for Get Out. The movie, which included Peele having an emotional discovery while writing it, earned four Academy Award nominations: Best picture, best director, Daniel Kaluuya for best actor, and best original screenplay. Peele won at the 2018 Oscars for the script. 

Get Out proved successful financially, too. It earned nearly $256 million worldwide on a budget of just $4.5 million, per IMDb.

Peele took creative control with Us and Nope on the heels of Get Out. He wrote the screenplays, produced, and directed both movies, but where did he cut his teeth as a director? Did he direct Key & Peele first?

Did Peele direct himself in ‘Key & Peele’? No, but he filled several roles on the show

In the sense that a TV show or movie is collaborative and a director and actor may work together to find common ground, you could say Peele directed Key & Peele. 

However, in the official sense, Jordan Peele did not step behind the camera and direct Key & Peele. That might have been because other duties took up more of his time. 

In addition to starring in the show, he executive produced 47 episodes and wrote or helped create 55 episodes during the show’s run from 2012 to 2015, according to his IMDb page.

‘Nope’: Plot, cast, rating, runtime

Jordan Peele didn’t direct any Key & Peele episodes, but his inexperience behind the camera hasn’t impacted his success as a director. Nope seems poised to continue Peele’s trend of hit movies.

Related

‘Key & Peele’: The Fictional Sketch Inspired by Jordan Peele’s Childhood

Nope’s plot finds OJ (Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) playing siblings working for their family company, Haywood’s Hollywood Horses, on a remote California ranch. However, an odd presence appears in the clouds, leads to the death of their father, and invades their peace and quiet in a major way.

Brandon Perea, who ignored Peele’s script during his audition, co-stars as Angel Torres, an electronics salesman who helps the Haywoods try to capture video of the intruders. Keith David (Otis Haywood Sr.), Steven Yeun (Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park), Michael Wincott (Antlers Holst), and Wrenn Schmidt (Amber Park) co-star. 

Nope received an R rating for language, violence, and bloody images, and has a 2 hour, 10 minute runtime, per IMDb.

Nope hits theaters on July 22, 2022.

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