Dev Patel is making his directorial debut with the upcoming thriller Monkey Man and Jordan Peele has signed on as producer.
The movie was originally set to be released by Netflix, but now Universal Pictures has acquired the movie and will release it theatrically instead.
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.
Not only does Dev star in the movie, he directed the film from a script he co-wrote.
“Insiders say Peele had a chance to see the movie, and was so taken with Patel’s vision that he believed it deserved a theatrical release. Universal will market and distribute Monkey Man through its feature film deal with Peele’s Monkeypaw banner. The film has been described as akin to John Wick in Mumbai,” The Hollywood Reporter says.
Head inside to watch the trailer…
Monkey Man will be released in theaters on April 4. Watch the trailer below!