Exclusive: Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Plot Synopsis Promises A New Twist On A Familiar Premise
Ever since making his directorial debut with the acclaimed thrillerGet Out, comedian and filmmakerJordan Peelehas been endlessly busy with new projects. He’s working on anew iteration ofThe Twilight Zone, producinga remake ofCandyman, voicinga role inToy Story 4, and more. But the first feature film since his Oscar-winning debut will be calledUs, and until now we knew relatively nothing about this project.
Learn the first details of Jordan Peele’sUsplot after the jump.
After confirming with two separate sources, /Film can exclusively reveal this is the plot synopsis being sent out with recent test screening invites for Jordan Peele’s new filmUs:
A mother (Academy Award winnerLupita Nyong’ofrom Black Panther, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 12 Years a Slave) and a father (Winston Dukefrom Black Panther) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (including Emmy winnerElizabeth Mossfrom TV series The Handmaid’s Tale). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.
That plot synopsis is clearly intentionally vague, and knowing what Jordan Peele did withGet Out, there’s no way it’s as simple as it’s made to sound. Often the plot synopses for test screenings only give the most basic gist of the story so that audiences come into the screening mostly in the dark. However, it offers up an ominous tone and promises Jordan Peele will do something unexpected with a premise we’ve heard before.
In fact, that plot synopsis sounds similar to that of Darren Aronofsky’s divisive thrillermother!, though this one does add children into the fray. It’s unlikely that Peele is offering a twist onmother!,a film which has avariety of readings and explanations. But again, this movie likely has much more bubbling beneath the surface, especially since it’s one of those “social thrillers” that Universalsigned a deal with Peele to make.
Peele previously had this to say about following up his hit debutGet Out:
“What do I do next? How do I top[GetOut]?And you know, and I think it’s important to focus on stories that are true to me. I go, when writingGet Out, my sort of mantra is or was, ‘Let’s write my favorite film I haven’t seen yet.’ So I think it’s easy to get sort of bogged down in ‘how does this compare to the first one, how does that compare?’ When all is said and done… I’m just trying to entertain myself again.”
In addition to those cast members mentioned in the synopsis, the cast ofUsalso featuresTim Heidecker(Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!),Yahya Abdul-Mateen II(Aquaman),andAnna Diop(Titans),Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Madison Curry,and twinsCali &Noelle Sheldon.
