Jordan Peele Reveals ‘Nope’ Title Meaning, How It Was Almost Called Something Else
The marketing behind Jordan Peele’s Nope created mystery and intrigue with audiences. However, the horror movie went through many other titles before finally landing on its nondescript name. Peele’s name, coupled with the humorous Nope title, instantly established intrigue with moviegoers worldwide, but how did he ultimately land on this name? The filmmaker walked the public through his thought process.
Jordan Peele directs his third horror movie with ‘Nope’
Peele first stepped behind the camera to direct Get Out. The horror movie provided social commentary on modern racism in America through a unique lens. Get Out ultimately earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, making Peele the first Black person to win in this category. However, this would prove only to be the beginning for him.
Next up, Peele stepped behind the camera for Us. It didn’t earn the Oscar win or nominations that his previous film did, but it certainly impacted audiences. As a result, audiences still yearned to see what else the filmmaker was capable of.
Now, Peele is bringing this third feature to the silver screen with Nope. The story follows a group of residents of inland California who witness a chilling discovery that is about to change everything.
Jordan Peele revealed the original title for ‘Nope’ and its meaning
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Peele talked about the title of Nope. The original title was Little Green Men, but he decided to change it during the filmmaking process. As a result, Peele discovered the perfect title that felt truly singular to this piece of storytelling.
“When I was writing the script, it was called Little Green Men,” Peele said “You know, I’m always talking about something human, a human flaw, and there was something about our connection with spectacle and money and our monetization of spectacle. So, the little green men that I started talking about was the little green men on the money.”
Peele continued: “But, you see how that sort of sounds like, it sounds like some kind of like, Redbox, like 2003, like Jeff Fahey vehicle. I don’t mean Little Green Men. I’m like, no, it’s not. There’s lots of names that I was circulating in my head, and at the end of the day, the film felt singular. Nope was the only thing that I could say to describe it.”
The director is sure to make a splash at the box office
Over the course of his career as a director thus far, Peele has earned more than $508 million at the worldwide box office. However, that number is about to continue climbing. Despite the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on movie theaters, Peele will likely do good business at the box office with Nope, as it continues to track well with audiences. It’s a summer title with actors Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun on board.
The question is whether it will have the awards chances that Get Out had. Analysts continue to debate Peele’s great potential success with Nope which could be one of the big winners of the rather sparse summer moviegoing season.
