‘Nope’s Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya Will Team Up Again, but not as Director and Actor
Jordan Peele’s three movies clearly found an audience. He earned an Oscar nomination for his directing debut, Get Out, a film that also gave star Daniel Kaluuya his first Academy Awards nod. After the director delivered the hit Us, Peele and Kaluuya collaborated again as director-actor with Nope, and they’ll team up again just after that movie’s release, but not in their typical way.
Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya find success again with ‘Nope’
The Academy Awards nominations for Get Out solidified Peele’s and Kaluuya’s reputation as expert filmmakers. Peele won an Oscar for best original screenplay, and the movie banked more than $255.7 million in ticket sales, per Box Office Mojo.
The pair seemingly knocked it out of the park again with Nope. It earned strong reviews from critics and cleared $100 million at the box office less than three weeks after it opened.
Kaluuya and Peele share a special bond that could make them the next Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, but not just as actor and director. Just weeks after Nope opened, Peele and Kaluuya send Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul into theaters.
Peele and Kaluuya produced ‘Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul’
Get Out and Nope solidified Peele and Kaluuya as a dynamic duo behind the camera and on the screen, respectively. They’re teaming up again as producers for Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, per IMDb.
The movie stars 2022 Oscars host Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) as a wife and husband looking to rebuild their megachurch’s congregation after a scandal forced it to close its doors. The satirical comedy mixes a traditional narrative with a mockumentary style as Brown and Hall frequently break the fourth wall. The movie played at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival before receiving its wide release from Focus Features.
Honk for Jesus gives Kaluuya his second producer credit. He previously produced and starred in 2019’s Queen & Slim, and he’ll fill the same two roles with the upcoming The Upper World.
Peele has a strong track record as a producer. In addition to producing (and writing) the three movies he’s directed, Peele served as producer on movies Keanu, BlacKkKlansman, and Candyman.
Neither appears on screen, but Peele and Kaluuya found a way to work together again with Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
The Actor and director have high praise for each other
Peele once revealed he’d never want to direct anyone else’s movie because he prefers bringing his own visions to life. Given the success he’s found with Kaluuya as his star, he may not want to direct anyone else.
The Spielberg and Hanks comparisons are a sign the director and actor have a healthy respect for each other. During a Kaluuya BBC appearance (via YouTube), a host brought up Peele calling him the Robert De Niro to the director’s Martin Scorsese. That’s high praise, but Kaluuya deflected the praise and complimented Peele with his answer.
“It’s cool, but for me, I just always stay focused. It’s an absolute blessing and an honor that he even sees me in that way, but it’s like, ‘All right, cool, but what are we doing?’” Kaluuya said. “You have to actually do it, you have to actualize your career to be mentioned with those legends and those greats. I’m getting warmed up is how I see it, but Jordan is an amazing, visionary director, so it’s an honor he paid me a compliment like that.”
Peele and Kaluuya are almost certain to work together again in the director-actor capacity. Until then, fans can see them collaborate behind the scenes with Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
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