If it wasn’t clear already, Kanye referencing the "sunken place" in one of his manic tweets only further confirmed the impact Get Out has had on our cultural zeitgeist. Jordan Peele’s first film not only won him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay but also forced the Academy to reckon with how they even categorize films. It was genre-bending and of-the-moment in a way that makes a movie an event to go see. Peele himself asked that people see it in the theaters, because the interaction between the audience and the screen was part of his vision.
Naturally, Get Out made us excited for the future of Peele’s career, and this week, we’re getting our first glimpse at what's next. Peele tweeted out a poster for his upcoming project, being released March 2019.
pic.twitter.com/6j43s9YC8e
— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) May 9, 2018
So what do we know about it? Variety reports that Lupita Nyong’o and Elizabeth Moss are both slated to star in it, as well as, hopefully, Winston Duke. It is called Us. And while that's very exciting it leaves a lot to be desired. As someone with exactly zero patience, here are my best guesses as to what the film is about.
- It's obviously set in the same Get Out universe and Moss and Nyong'o are freshman year roommates at a predominantly white liberal arts college. The college continually takes photos of Nyong'o for their brochures and website to promote the nonexistent diversity. Moss convinces her she is insane and that that is not actually happening. Uh, Duke is a hot chemistry major.
- If it's not that, then how about Nyong'o and Moss are lovers and it's the exact same plot as Get Out? But maybe this time it's set in Calabasas.
- Jordan Peele hangs a tight left and takes us out of his horror-comedy genre territory by giving us a genuine love story between Nyong'o and Duke. Moss is the quirky best friend who convinces Nyong'o to take a chance on love!
- Okay, similar to the above plot where Nyong'o and Duke are in love, but Moss pulls an Ali Larter à la 2009's Beyoncé vehicle Obsessed and tries to break up their marriage.
- We are wrongly reading Us as "you and me" but it's actually "U.S" as in "United States" and Peele is pulling a Lin Manuel Miranda, giving us a modern updated spin on the foundation of America. Duke will play the entire Jamestown colony.
- Sticking to the patriotic theme and considering the top text of the poster calls this film "a new nightmare" then maybe we're looking at a retelling of the 2016 election?
- Wait, I got it. The "new nightmare" is that Kanye is indeed in the sunken place and joins the Trump administration instead of releasing an album. Duke will play Kanye. Nyong'o will be the Nakia-esque heroin tasked with taking down the regime. Moss will reprise her role in A Handmaid's Tale. It all makes sense now!
